


One Winged Angel

by dyinabyss



Series: Dragon Campaign [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anal Sex, Dragon Riders, Dragon!Mikasa, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, Hardcore, Implied Future Mpreg, King!Levi, M/M, Making Out, Naked Cuddling, Necromancer!Hanji, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Outdoor Sex, Prince!Eren, Riren relationship, Romance, Sexual Fantasy, Sleep Sex, bottom!Eren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-29
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-02-19 06:25:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 74,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2378165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyinabyss/pseuds/dyinabyss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi saw King Jaeger & His Queen murdered in front of his eyes. He was convinced that his fiancé, King Jaeger's son, also killed when the massacre happen. But he started to doubt himself when he meet Eren, the boy with mesmerizing turquoise eyes, on the Dragon Campaign. There's only one person he knew in this world owned that beautiful eye color, and that boy may be Levi's long lost fiancé.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Humanity’s Strongest Rider

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AoHaru9](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AoHaru9/gifts), [mikuni_sama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikuni_sama/gifts).



> Hello again!  
> It's been a while since my previous fanfic ended and this time I would like to share Fantasy AU story with you :)  
> This fic was inspired a lot by Final Fantasy and The Legend of Dragoon so you may notice similarities here and there :p  
> I love those games, especially LOD and i really LOVE Riren so here it is, the combination of my two fav things XD
> 
> Many thanks to LillyCasterwill who has helped me Beta this chapter and also gave me precious advices :D  
> You're the best Lilly!   
> And last but not least, i hope you'll enjoy reading this fic :)

Eren hops on the dragon’s back with his hand hanging tight on its crystal scale. He combs his messy brown hair roughly with his left hand while waiting for Mikasa, The Crystal Dragon, to get up from the ground. She purrs softly when her feet stand perfectly above the ground and her wings spread slowly.

“Fly high Mikasa, those hunters are still looking for us.” Eren said and Mikasa purrs again, telling him that she understood. She flaps her wings several times, making the trees rustle and the water ripple before they’re finally up in the sky, trying to keep as much distance as she can from the ground.

Eren grabs another crystal scale to hold on to while Mikasa is trying to balance the height and adding velocity and fly towards southern land.

Armin lives in southern land and there is no safer place than the magical cave he lives in.

The brunet grabs his shirt and squeezes them tightly, his heart is still pounding hard because of the chase he had earlier. Lately hunters are getting more and more persistent, and danger is lurking everywhere for both him and Mikasa. The least they can do to protect themselves is to hide in Armin’s cave where magical barrier protect the all the rocks and conceal their existence.

He closes his eyes while taking a long deep breath to calm his heart beat and exhale. Panic is the last thing he needs right now so he must force himself to calm down even though his fingers are still shaking. Eren bites his lower lip to take another breather and another and another until he can feel his heart beating normally.

Mikasa peeks at Eren from the corner of her dark eyes, slowly turning her head back to make sure Eren is okay. The brunet opens his eyes and realizes Mikasa is looking at him with concerned expression. He smiles and pats Mikasa’s neck.

“I’m okay Mikasa. You know me, I just needed a breather that’s all.” Mikasa okay-ed with another purr. She add her speed and they dashed a little faster.

There are 3 different types of dragon in this world: the 7 meters type, 15 meters type, and the largest is the 50 meters type. Mikasa is a 15 meters type dragon which has a marvellous fighting skill, strong physique, and high agility to support both offense and defence movements. She was one of the rarest dragon species live in this world, and possibly the last.

The Crystal Dragon race has been hunted down to their last descendant just to take their scales away. The crystal scale that grows on the dragon’s body is sharper than any diamond blade, tougher than adamantium – the toughest metal on earth, but lighter than feather. Many people hunted them for its fine material and high selling price on the market, but the act of killing has made the race nearly extinct.

Even though the dragon’s scale is something that many people desire, the only one who can use the crystal’s full potential is their destined Rider. Without the rider, the crystal is only worth half of a rusty iron’s price because it breaks easily.

There are two ways to bring out the crystal finest potential. The first one is to bathe the dragon in the rider’s blood, which means the rider must die and the dragon will turn into a lifeless crystal. The other way to use the crystal’s full potential is in the hand of the rider’s other half.

Each dragon rider has a half wing tattoo etched on their shoulder blade and they are destined to one true mate. Meeting the other half will wake the rider’s full ability to use and control the dragon’s power. But the search to find each rider’s other half has always been a difficult one, especially when your destined mate came from a different race.

Eren has spent half of his life running from hunters who’s hungry for Mikasa’s crystal scale and his blood. He has given up searching for his other half because he didn’t have a tattoo on his body. The Wings of Freedom tattoo should emerge when a rider has reach the age of 18 as a sign that he/she is mature and ready to meet the other half, but in his case it doesn’t happen.

He was quite devastated when his tattoo didn’t emerge from his back but now he believes it was due to the extinction of his race. How can he find his other half when the only one left from his race is him?

The brunet looks down to Mikasa and pats her neck again. “Hey Mikasa, do you think we can make it alive until the three of us grow old and have so many wrinkles we can scare the shit out of Armin’s grandpa?”

Mikasa chuckles lightly, which can only be heard as several short purrs. Eren chuckles too while hugging the dragon’s neck tightly and closes his eyes.

“I really wanna see the three of us grow old, y’know.” Eren says again with the wind caressing his body. Mikasa doesn’t answer this time and continues to fly to the magical cave. The brunet open his eyes and wondering to himself for a few minutes.

“If only I was as strong as the Humanity’s Strongest Rider, I could’ve protected our race from extinction.” He sadly mumbles and Mikasa growls in a rather upset tone.

“Sorry… Forget I said that.” Eren apologized while patting Mikasa’s neck and sits up straight to look what’s in front of them. The sun has started to set even lower and the sight of Armin’s magical cave is now within their visibility range.

Mikasa flaps her wings and manoeuvres to fly lower. She lands her feet first on the ground, flapping her wings again twice before she folds them and bows lower so that Eren can get off her back. The brunet jumps down while holding onto his dagger tight. He can’t lose the only reminiscence left by his parents so he takes great care of it, not letting a single scratch touch it nor dust smearing the sheath.

Eren looks at Mikasa with a smile while patting her wings. “You can turn back now. We’re safe.”

Mikasa purrs and closes her eyes with her head facing up. A glow emerges from inside her scales and shines bright until all of them break into small pieces and fall on the ground. The shattered, broken pieces vanish into thin air and Mikasa’s human body appears from the big chunk crystal which eventually crack and shattered into millions of pieces too.

Her black hair flapping in the gentle wind, with the red scarf coil loose around her neck. She wears a white shirt underneath the crystal breastplate (which moulded from part of her scales), long black pants, and knee-length boots. Two Vesper swords hanging on her hips, sheathed by special case made from her own crystal scale. She’s a dual-sword-fighter type.

With the help of Armin, Mikasa was taught a magic to keep the dress intact while she changed her shape into a dragon. That way, when she changed back, there is no need to make an obscene display over and over again. Mikasa was really thankful that Armin is a genius with proper manner, not some pervert magician who uses their magic to blow women’s skirts.

Eren admired the sight of her strong body, muscular arms, and broad shoulder especially because the way he looks is not even close to her. Even though the brunet is quite strong, his physique is not as tough-looking as Mikasa’s.

He has firm muscles, a lean waist, tan skin and childish eyes. Eren wears a green shirt with elbow pads, brown gloves made of animal skin, long white pants and knee-length boots. He has a rapier hanging on his hips, sheathed with the same material Mikasa used. His green short cloak flutters open when strong wind blows his way and make his gets his messy hair into a more disarray state than usual.

Mikasa walks over to Eren and ruffles his messy hair affectionately. “Why can’t you tame your hair, Eren?”

The brunet pushes Mikasa’s hand away. “Shut up.”

“You should comb it often or ask Armin if he have a simple magic to make your hair more presentable.”

“Pfft! As if it’s important. I’ll worry about my hair when our lives are not at stake anymore.”

Mikasa huffs out a disappointed sigh. “Fine.”

Eren turns his body around and walks towards the cave’s entrance. If seen by human eyes, the entrance will looks like an ordinary rocky cave, but Eren and Mikasa’ eyes can see a magical barrier upon it. It was a gift that only Crystal Dragon race had. A gift to see any magic with their bare eyes, which is why sometimes hunters took out their race’s eyes as an equipment to see magic by forging it into their helmet or goggles. This act of cruelty went on for more than a decade until their race is nearly extinct.

To get into Armins cave, Eren doesn’t need to do anything because the barrier does not react to his and Mikasa’s blood. It only reacts to other human’s blood. He steps inside the cave and once they have walked past the barrier, the scenery suddenly changes into a bright space filled with books, plants, bottles of potions, and comfortable couches to sit on. There is also a fireplace located in front of those couches, a small round wooden table and a kitchen at the end of the room. The space inside is very wide with four bedrooms built inside. The dark gloomy cave serves as a camouflage to conceal what’s in it.

This spacey cave is where the three of them live with Armin’s grandfather. While they are constantly hunted, Eren and Mikasa have no other choice but to live in the shadows, hiding inside the cave to survive. Luckily Armin is kind enough to turn the once humid and dirty cave into a bright and airy room with the help of his magic.

The sunlight can still burst through from the open ceiling in the centre of the room. Fresh air circulates freely inside with the help of the open ceiling, and it makes the cave a lot more like a home to them.

Eren sees Armin in the kitchen corner, cutting away something and then mingling it with a few drops of potion. The blond is always experimenting everyday whether it’s useful or not. He is a genius and is smarter than Elf magicians in terms of magic. Eren is very proud of him and also very happy to have him as a friend rather than an enemy.

“Hey Armin, what are you doing?” Eren asks while he puts away his dagger and takes off his cloak.

“Oh hi guys, I was just mixing this herb to make a new healing potion.” Armin turns his body around but paused his movement when he see Eren’s shoulder soaked with dry blood.

“Wow, you ran into hunters again?” the blond asks, while bringing the potion to the round table.

Eren sits on one of the chairs and rests his uninjured arm on top of a desk. Mikasa puts down her swords on the wall and sits beside Eren.

“He was shot.” She says shortly and helps the brunet to take off his elbow pads. Once they’re off, Mikasa tugs at his shirt to help him take it off too but Eren holds her hands.

“I can take it off by myself.” He says before tugging the shirt away and hissing in pain.

“See? You should let me help you.” Mikasa retorts.

“Stop pampering me, I can do it.”

“Says someone who just got himself shot.”

“They brought an archer.”

“Still, you should let me handle them instead of joining the fight.”

“I’m not a weakling! Stop babying me!”

“Guys, stop.” Armin interrupts their argument. He stirs the potion inside the small bowl and taps the spoon twice. “Hunters are getting fiercer lately so you should be more careful. And besides, it’s a good thing that I can try this potion immediately. Just think of your wound as a contribution for medical field.”

Eren growls and throws his shirt on the floor. Mikasa grabs it and puts it on the table. “Don’t throw your clothes on the ground.”

“Yes, yes…” Eren replies lazily.

Armin shakes his head and takes a clean cloth then gets up to wet it with water. He returns to the desk with the wet cloth and drapes it carefully on Eren’s shoulder. The brunet hisses in pain again when Armin wipes the blood away several times until the wound is clean from the dirty blood.

“Armin, can’t you be a little gentler with me?”

“You’ve been injured so many times I’ve lost count, and you ask me to be gentle?”

Eren shrugs his shoulder “Well, yeah, of course.”

Armin chuckles and takes away the dirty cloth. “Get a girlfriend to do that for you.”

“Or a boyfriend.” Eren adds with a smile and Mikasa’s eyes widen in shock.

“You still like him? Humanity’s Strongest Rider? You don’t even know his face.” Mikasa asks with horror in her eyes.

“I admire him. What’s wrong with that?”

“Eren he’s a Dark Dragon’s Rider. He practically eats the life of any living being.”

“I know.”

“Then stop liking him.”

“Oh come on Mikasa, you’re overreacting. I was just admiring his fighting skills!”

“He’s a murderer.”

“He’s not!”

Armin shakes his head again while listening to the sibling fight with each other. He gives Eren’s wound few drops of the healing potion and the reaction can be seen almost immediately. Thin smoke starts to come out while the ripped skin is slowly healing.

“Ow!” Eren’s yelps as little by little the ripped skin regenerates and finally heals completely. Armin let out a relieved sigh.

“Seems like my experiment is a success. This potion can heal open wound faster than any potion sold in the market but it only works on you and Mikasa. I mix her crystal scale in it. ”

Eren rubs his healed shoulder and tries to lift up his arm. The pain has gone and there are no marks on his skin. The potion works like magic – well, because Armin did add a little magic in it.

“Thanks Armin, I don’t know what we’d do without you.” Eren grins to his blond buddy to show his pearly white teeth.

“No problem. Just don’t get hurt over and over again please?”

“I’ll try.” Armin gives a simple smile upon hearing that and takes the bowl away from the desk to the kitchen again.

Mikasa gets up from her seat and walks to the fireplace. She throws three pieces of lumbers inside and pours some oil on top of it before lighting the pile with fire. The lumber burns, spreading warmth to the whole room and illuminating the dark part of the cave.

Armin cups his hands together and whispers a spell to summon light. A glow formed on his palm and then the glowing increase little by little, creating thousands of beautiful yellow spot floating in the air. Eren looked at his surroundings in awe, basking in the beautiful sight of those lights flying around the cave. He never gets tired of Armin’s magic, especially like this. Eren thinks this is some of the prettiest magic Armin has ever cast and he always enjoys the view.

“I can never get tired of your magic, Armin.” Eren says while still looking up to the beautiful glow.

“You’ve always fond of them since we’re small.”

“Yeah…because I’ve never seen anyone make it except you.”

Armin chuckles then turns around to make dinner. “Hey, did you know that the Dragon’s Campaign this year will be held in the neighbouring city?”

Eren’s eyes widen when hearing that news. “Really?”

“Yeah. Rumour says that the Thunder Dragon’s King and Dark Dragon’s King will also come to see the tournament.”

“Dark Dragon’s King? The Humanity’s Strongest Rider will come?”

“Probably. King Erwin said not to expect him to come. He often comes on his own accord so please don’t get your hopes up.”

“Wow…” Eren’s mouth hangs open and his heartbeat speed up a little. He wanted to see the Legendary Rider, but Mikasa would never agree with him going out to a place where a bunch of hunters gathered around.

If he doesn’t go, he’ll lose the only chance to see what the Humanity’s Strongest Rider looks like. And he’ll also lose the chance to watch him fight with the other riders. No, that won’t do, Eren will go there and he’ll see Humanity’s Strongest Rider with his own eyes.

“You’re not going there.” Mikasa suddenly says and made Eren break out of his thoughts. She stares at him with her cold expression.

She knows. With one look Mikasa has always been able to read Eren’s mind. Since their life is constantly in danger, Mikasa has developed a very high observation skill but and with that a very overprotective nature

Eren rolls his eyes and looks away from Mikasa, growling in protest. This is not the first time it happened and Eren is more than frustrated to and wants Mikasa to get off his back for once.

“I know what’s on your mind, Eren. You want to see him, see the Humanity Strongest Rider in battlefield.” Mikasa answered Eren’s silent protest.

He turns his body around and looks at her again. “Mikasa, this might be the first  _and_  the last time I’ll get to see him in action.”

“Hunters will gather in the campaign.” Mikasa retorts.

“I’ll be careful, Armin can teach me how to cover my presence.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

Eren sigh and shook his head. “I am going. Alone.”

“No you’re not.”

“Yes I am.”

“No you’re not, Eren!”

“Yes I am!”

“Ah-hem guys, can you help me here? We’ll figure something out about the campaign over dinner, okay?” Armin held his dirty hands for Eren and Mikasa to see.

Both of them sigh and get up from their seats, unsatisfied because neither of them have won the argument. The siblings are usually pretty close, but when the topic about Humanity’s Strongest Rider is brought up, they always argue like children.

Eren helps to make the salad while Mikasa help Armin to prepare the meat. The three of them work while chatting away about their day. Mikasa and Eren share the same experiences so it’s mostly Armin tells them about his daily work.

The blond works under King Erwin as his personal advisor and Magician. The king consults each and every one of his strategy with Armin because of his brilliant brain and powerful magic skills. Even though he didn’t come from Elven Race, he possess magic skill that is stronger than most Elves because he studied hard. By the age of twelve, Armin had already mastered the skill to heal a large number of people and cast supporting enchantments for allies within five hundred meters radius.

His skills soon recognized by King Erwin, he started to work at the castle since he was thirteen.

Today is like any other day, Armin tells them about his work with Erwin to formulate a battle strategy against Titan Dragons. They are wild dragons without element or rider and only eats human as their food. Though those dragons are not really organized when moving to feed themselves, their number has greatly increased lately with unknown cause. This is what King Erwin and Armin are trying to found out.

Every time Armin tells them a story involving King Erwin, there’s a slight pink colour smearing on his cheek. Eren thinks that Armin must be in love with the King, but he holds himself back because Erwin is a Rider, and Rider always have their destined half-winged mate.

Eren thought it was bullshit. Everyone should free to love who they loved and nothing should stop people from loving someone just because there are not their destined half-wing. The look on Armin’s face is practically screaming that he’s in love but the blond keeps saying that he should keep his role as professional advisor. Nothing more, nothing less. Eren thinks that its bullshit, again.

When the meal is ready, the three of them bring the salad, roasted deer meat, and squeezed orange juice to the little round table. Eren is starving because of the chase and he’s ready to eat everything all in one go. The three of them sit on the chairs and Eren is about to reach for the juiciest chunk of meat when Mikasa suddenly slap the back of his palm.

“Ow! Hey, what’s that for?” Eren yelps and retracts his hand then rubs it.

“We should pray first.” Mikasa said.

Eren grunts a little but comply anyway. The trio takes a moment of silence and then opens their eyes and starts digging in. Eren is finally able to grab that big chunk and brings it to his plate. He adds a salad and cuts the meat on his plate with a knife while looking at Armin from the corner of his eyes. The blond is sitting next to him, eating the green vegetable with pure delight on his face.

“Hey Armin, are you ever going to tell Erwin about how you feel for him?”

Armin suddenly chokes on his food and coughs out his half eaten salad to the table. Eren quickly picks up his plate and pulls it away from Armin so that the half-eaten salad didn’t fall on his plate.

“Ew gross!” Eren protests to his best friend who is still trying to relieve himself from the furious coughs. Mikasa sighs and pours a glass of water for Armin to drink. The blond takes the glass from Mikasa and gulps the content almost too quick. He wipes his mouth with a napkin and clears his throat.

“Eren! I told you we are not like that!” Armin glares at the brunet with his big blue eyes and red cheek.

“Yeah, yeah. You should look at your face when we’re talking about him.” Eren puts his plate back on the table and eats the meat. He swings his fork left and right to his blond buddy while smirking with playful expression. The lid of Eren’s green eyes half closes as he look at Armin with teasing stare.

Armin looks away from Eren’s teasing eyes while rubbing on his mouth a little too rough.

“Shut up. Worry about your own crush. I bet you’re gonna get beet red even before he talks to you. God knows what you do when you’re thinking too much about him.” Armin retorts. Now Eren is the one who’s blushing hard.

He recalls one night when he was fantasizing meeting with The Humanity’s Strongest Rider and they talk, they laugh about nothing, and eventually fall in love. Silly of course, because he didn’t even knew how what his idol looks like yet his fantasy already take advance steps.

“I didn’t fantasize anything about him!” Eren denies with a voice which a little too loud.

Both Armin and Mikasa’s eyes widen in disbelieve when she hears what Eren said. “Eren, you  _fantasize_  him?”

Now Eren’s eyes are the ones widen in shock. The brunet has just realized his mistake when Mikasa and Armin stare at him with surprised look on their face.

“Shit. No, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t think of him like that.” Eren tried to avoid their suspicious eyes.

“Then  _how_  do you think of him?” Mikasa asks again, this time her face is darken and she looks incredibly upset. She fold her arms in front of her chest.

“Like any other fan.” The brunet replied vaguely.

“Who image their idol would come to their room and sweep them off their feet.” She added with threatening tone.

“No! Mikasa, I have never thought of him that way.”  _Maybe a little_ , says Eren to himself.

But Mikasa doesn’t buy it, she’s convinced that her baby brother will fall in love with a Dark Dragon’s Rider which reputations exceed his true power. And he haven’t even meet him yet!

“He’s nothing like you’ve imagined him to be. The Dark Dragon race lives their life upon feeding other human’s or dragon’s life. He’s no hero.”

“But he fought for us when Crystal Palace was under attack.”

“We will never know. That is just rumor.”

“You saw his Dragon!”

“I saw a Dark Dragon, that’s it. It could be anyone.”

“It could be him too.”

Mikasa sighs in disappointment. Here they are, back in square one again, arguing about the non-existent person in their life. Armin watches them while thinking about how to get this argument over with, once and for all. He rests his chin on the back of his palm.

“Hey, how about meeting him once.” Mikasa and Eren look at the blond at the same time with different expressions. Mikasa look angry while Eren look excited.

“Yes!”

“No.”

“Mikasa!”

“Eren, no. Armin, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Calm down, hear me out first. Idolizing someone and actually meeting them are two different things. Many fans get over their fan-girling stage – or in this case fan-boying stage – after meeting the real person. There are so many things that can change someone’s opinion about their idol after meeting them because the real deal is a lot different from their fantasy.”

Armin pauses for a minute to see his best friends’ reactions. Eren gulps while listening closely to the explanation while Mikasa stays silent, slowly agreeing to the idea. She looks at Eren with a serious expression.

“We’re listening. Go on.” Mikasa encourages.

“Okay, so if after meeting him Eren still likes the guy, well I guess Mikasa should learn to accept the situation.” Armin says while looking at Mikasa. She glares, disagreeing the possibility.

“But Eren, you should prepare yourself. More often than not, fans get disappointed upon meeting their idol. He might not turn out the way you picture him all this time and if that happen…well I think you’ll eventually give up.” Eren gulp again.

Suddenly he thinks about what could possibly disappointed him. The way he looks? The way he speaks? The way he fights? What if he’s an old bald guy with pimples in his face? What if he’s a heartless bastard who kills people indiscriminately?

Armin’s right, he’s always right. Eren might not like The Rider after meeting him.

Is it better to just fantasize about him like he did all this time? That way his imagination won’t be destroy. But then he will never know the truth about his own idol. Will that satisfy his curiosity? What if his curiosity just got worst over the time?

The brunet thinks carefully to himself and Mikasa does the same. This could be the only solution for the both of them and they can end their endless arguing once and for all.

“Well guys? What do you think?” Armin asks while he takes another bite of his salad and the tasty meat.

“I’m in. I want to see him, at least once.” Eren says with determination in his eyes which makes them glowing beautifully.

“Me too. Whoever loses, the result will be fair.” Mikasa nods to Armin and Eren then chomps on her salty meat.

Armin nods in satisfaction because finally they are one step ahead to end the sibling’s argument based on the final result. He smiles and picks up his glass to drink the water.

Eren waits for Armin to finish his drink before asking the most important thing to the blond and Mikasa. “So, I get to go the Campaign, right?”

The blond puts down his glass and wipes his mouth with napkin. “Yes, but before you go there it is only fair for us that you prove one thing. You gotta show that you can take care of yourself in the middle of angry hunters.”

“What? I don’t need to do that. I’ve made it this far dealing with those hunters.” 

“With me.” Mikasa adds a key factor.

“I saved you!”

“So have I. We always dealt with them together. But at the Campaign, you’ll be going alone. Two people will attract too many attention. Hunters will recognize us.”

Mikasa has a point. True, the tournament’s venue is a very large field, but most of the spectators are hunters so he must be extra careful when stepping into the city. Eren sighs while taking another bite from his meal.

“Fine. I’ll show you that I can handle them by myself.” He says finally and Armin sighs in relief.

Mikasa brushs her hair softly behind the ear and smiles to herself. She feels grateful that Eren doesn’t argue this time.

“Great! Now, there is a simple way to do this but you still need to be extra careful inside the city.” Armin continue, his food has gone cold but he doesn’t care.

“Fire away.” Eren says rather lazily while he put another chunk of meat into his mouth and chews on it slowly.

“Get me a bottle of mermaid tears from Zoe’s magic shop.”

Eren frowns upon hearing the item’s name and gulps down the food. “What?”

“Mermaid tears.”

“In the shop? They sell those?”

“Yeah, they’re one of the rarest items because you know how unfriendly mermaids are.”

“I thought the tears that mermaids shed would turn into pearls not liquid.”

“Yes but it can be preserved in its liquid shape inside a special vial which Necromancer Zoe created and the effect is almost the same as the mermaid’s voice. It can create illusion and deceit human’s eyes.”

“Why do you need that for? If it’s to change my eye colour, you already taught me how to change it to fool those hunters.”

“Only when the spell caster doesn’t panic or get angry and loses control of their magic. You do the angry part a lot.”

Eren groans when he hears that. Yes, the magic he casted to change his distinctive eye colour often fades because of his uncontrolled anger. Both he and Mikasa get into troubles a lot because of it.

“And I suppose this tear can maintain my fake eye colour even I get mood swings?”

“Correct.”

Eren sighs out loud and gobbles all of his food on the plate. “Fine. I’ll buy it.” he says with stuffed mouth.

Armin smiles again and describes the location of the shop in deep details to make sure that Eren doesn’t get lost in the huge city. Eren listens carefully while gulping down two glass of orange juice down. Mikasa also pays attention to the details just in case she needs to dash inside the city and rescue Eren.

Five minutes of explaining make Eren’s heart race in excitement. He can’t believe that he’s finally a step closer to meeting Humanity’s Strongest Rider for the first time. His eyes sparkle under the soft glow in sea green colour as he is unconsciously smiling, imagining the adventure without Mikasa. It’s not like he hates her but sometimes he wants to be alone and not to be on guard every second. He wants to be normal boy, ignorant to the world and just have fun.

“So that’s about it. You won’t miss the shop, it’s quite unique.” Armin concludes his explanation.

“Yeah, okay.” Eren gets up from his seat and takes the plate with him to the kitchen. He washes the wooden plate and dries both hands on his shirt, making it damp on the hips.

“Oh and one more thing, I think you need to go and get it now.”

“What?!” Mikasa shoots up from her seat and her hands bang on the table, causing plates and cutlery to bounce up and then drop with loud clatter.

“Yeah!” Eren excitedly replies.

“Why did he have to go now?” Mikasa demands an explanation to Armin.

“Sorry…I really forgot to say this from the start but I need two days – 48 hours to be exact – to make the potion.”

“It’s okay. I’ll get ready.”

“Eren!” Mikasa walks to Eren’s side and grabs his wrist to stop him from leaving. “Don’t go. We barely escaped a bunch of hunters today. They have got to be in town by now.”

Eren touches his sister’s hand and smiles. “Relax, its already dark. I can sneak around easier now than daytime.”

“Yeah but – “

“Please…I want to do this… Please Mikasa…” Eren’s pleas with his big green eyes.

Mikasa bites her lower lip and frowns deeply, hesitating whether to cancel the deal or not. She was not ready to let Eren go this night, especially not after they barely escaped from hunter’s ambush before.

“Sister…please…” Eren begs again.

She can’t bear to see the crestfallen expression on him so she  _hesitantly_  nods, very slowly.

The brunet immediately flings his arms around her neck and hugs her tight. “Thank you!” he shouts happily and lets her go to grab his rapier. Mikasa pulls the red scarf to cover her mouth as she looks away to another direction.

“I’ll take you there.” She says with sad and weak tone but Eren doesn’t care. He’s too happy to care. He even jumps a little when going out of the cave and Mikasa follows behind, still biting her lower lip and mumbling curses to Humanity’s Strongest Rider.

“Wait!” Armin screams from inside the cave. Eren’s stop abruptly and turns his body around to see his best friend running after them. When the blond manage to reaches them, he pulls out a small leather pouch from his pocket which contains gold and gives it to Eren.

Eren takes the pouch and weighs it in his hand. It felt heavy, heavier than his own pouch and it makes him wonder just how much the potion costs anyway. Or  did Armin just give him pocket money to have fun in the city?

“Is this for me?” the brunet asks with quizzical look on his face.

“Of course not. It’s to buy the mermaid tear.”

“Isn’t this too much?”

Armin chuckles upon hearing Eren’s question. “Nope, the tear cost as much as three healthy cows. So please, whatever you do, don’t spill the vial.”

“What?! That’s crazy! You’re gonna waste good money for one drop of tear?”

“Anything for science.”

“Great. Now  _I’m_  getting cold feet. What if I break the vial?”

Armin laughs softly and slaps Eren’s butt. “You won’t. Anyway you should go or the shop will close anytime now.” 

Eren groans again while turning his body around and putting the coin inside his pocket.

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you. Humanity’s Strongest Rider’s name is Levi.”

Once again Eren’s eyes wide in surprise and his cheek blush even darker than before. “Levi…” he tests the sound of the name on his tongue and somehow he likes it. Now his heart is racing again, excited to meet the owner of the name once the tournament begins.

Eren doesn’t really care what Levi looks like. He just wants to see him with his own two eyes.

Little did he know that his curiosity will spin the fate of destiny between them.

\-----

 

Mikasa drops Eren by the lake and then she submerges into the water, hiding herself while waiting for Eren to return. Thanks to the crystal scales on her body, her dragon form can be hidden amongst the calm water because of the see through effect.

Eren puts on the green cloak and pulls the hood over his head. He then walks inside the Capital City of Rose which as crowded as daytime. Some people call it The City That Never Sleep because of its merry atmosphere, day and night, especially on times when festival or tournament is coming.

Sneaking inside the city at night is easy because most of the citizen and hunters are drunk, eating, gambling their money away, or buying comfort to accompany them through the night. Nobody really cares if there’s a boy running inside the city, heading to a magic shop and buying a rare item which purpose is to disguise oneself.

Eren is more than happy to complete the task at hand because he’s confident that he can go back unharmed. Other than completing the task, he can also walk around the city without fear of being recognized by hunters.

The street is not very crowded so he decides to drop by the fruit store and find the juiciest Dragon Fruit for Mikasa and also some blueberries for Armin. Those are Mikasa and Armin’s favourite fruits so Eren couldn’t miss the chance to buy some while he can walk freely inside the city. 

After his hands are full with fruits, he goes to search for the magic shop before the main city gate is closed. From the main street Eren take a turn to an alley and finally found the stairs which leads down below, just like what Armin said.

Zoe’s magic shop is unique indeed, he can see a purple door etched with a strange design at the end of the stairs. A spell is cast upon it and Eren recognizes it as a spell to reveal one’s disguise. The owner of the store must be someone who is careful enough not to let someone suspicious enter their shop.

Unfortunately, the spell can also distinguish someone’s races, and that’s not good for Eren. The shop owner can recognize him as Crystal Dragon’s Rider because of his distinct bloodline. He gulps while still standing in front of the door, thinking of a way to somehow avoid the magic. Eren search in his head for a spell that can break it but he’s having a trouble because he remembers none.

Five minutes standing on the stairs makes him nervous because the longer he stays the bigger the risk of being caught by hunters. He would be lurking around the city for too long and the gate will close in another hour. He must find a way to pass through this door quickly.

“Oi brat, move.” A deep voice from behind startles Eren and he spontaneously turns around to see who’s behind him.

There’s a man standing four stairs above him, staring with his dark eyes. Under the dim fire glow, Eren couldn’t see what colour are those eyes exactly but he could clearly see that the man is incredibly pale.

The man possesses an intimidating gaze, piercing eyes smeared with black eyeliner, sharp jaws, thin lips, and also a soft and neat hair which parted in the middle. He wore a white silk shirt with a cravat coiled around his neck, complementing the expensive looking dress. A perfect fit black coat covered his body complete with black silky pants.

“You deaf kid?” The man’s voice is silky smooth just like the way he dressed. Eren has never met anyone with such voice. Then again, he hasn’t met too many people in his life because he was constantly hiding and running.

“I’m not.” Eren says while frowning to the man. He hold his green cloak tight, afraid that the hood might flutter open and reveal his face. Meeting someone is not part of his plan tonight.

“Then get out of the fucking way.” The man says again while walking down the stairs. Eren steps aside to let the man pass as his heart is pounding hard in his chest.

The man stops in front of the door and looks at Eren over his shoulder. “Are you coming in?”

“Y-yes.” The brunet answers nervously. He lowers his head so that his face won’t be seen.

“Then why are you just standing there all night?”

“I’m not. It’s just…”

“Just?”

Eren looks away from the man’s sharp gaze, holding his cloak and grocery bag tightly. Silence fall between them and the man pierce his gaze to Eren, looking at his suspicious behaviour. But then the raven haired man turns his body around and holds the door handle. The magical barrier disappears once the man touches the handle, almost as if he penetrates the spell instantly without doing anything.

“Whatever kid.” Says the mysterious man as he walks into the shop.

This is his chance! Eren can get in without being detected by the magical barrier and buy the item he wanted. The brunet suddenly runs to catch up with the man.

“W-wait! I’m coming in too.” Eren says hastily.

The man looks at Eren over his shoulder then turns back around and walk in. He leaves the door wide open for Eren as he steps inside the shop, secretly exhaling a relieved sigh because he somehow managed to pass through the door without being detected.

The shop’s interior is very different from the impression he got from outside. It has a very spacey room and rather comfortable atmosphere. The walls are decorated with purple wallpapers with collections of potions, books, and magical vials on each side.

Eren looks around in awe, scanning the place from left to right, up and down, and then returns to a corner where a women with messy pony tails is talking to a customer. She’s holding a dagger that is wrapped with some kind of wind magic and carefully places it on top of an ellipse cup.

“Don’t touch the wind. They’ll blow right away if touched by human hand.” She warnes and then looks at Eren’s and the raven haired man direction.

After standing on equal ground, Eren just realized that the pretty man is shorter than him, but he couldn’t shake the ominous aura that the man possesses. The brown haired woman – which Eren guessed is the shop clerk – gives a very big smile when she spots the raven haired man.

“Hey Lev – “

“Shitty glasses! You fucking dare to leave the room before the meeting finishs.” The dark haired man suddenly barks at her and make Eren surprise. The shop clerk didn’t seem to be effected. She just laughs it off.

“Chill out grumpy, Erwin knows where I am. Beside he needs you more than I do.”

“Should I skin you alive four eyes? Because I’m in the mood right now.”

“No thanks. I’d rather see your new boyfriend here.”

The black haired man shoots a quizzical look to her when she said the word  _boyfriend_. The shop clerk points at Eren with her chin as she smirks with teasing smile. The black haired man turns his head to look at Eren and rolles his eyes.

“ _That_  is no boyfriend of mine, fuckface. He’s a stranger who’s afraid of showing his face to the world.”

“Wha – “ Eren spontaneously says when he hears the rude remarks.

“Maybe he’s hiding his cute face.”

“Or hiding his  _ugly-as-fuck_  face. He’s a fucking weirdo who’s standing in front of your shop for hours.”

“And it’s your fault that I can’t tell who he is because you rip my barrier.”

“Hey! Stop talking like I’m not here. I’m not a weirdo and…my face is okay.” Eren retorts, rather upset, making the two adults stare at him with surprised expression.

The brown haired woman looks down to hold her laughter but her snicker is heard anyway and soon she’s laughing in a very loud voice. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to talk that way about you. The name’s Hanji. You need something boy?”

Eren fidgets a little before stepping closer to Hanji. “I’m searching for…uh…mermaid tears.”

“Mermaid tears?” Hanji clarifies and Eren nods.

“Yeah.”

“Hm…you’re searching for something very unique here. Let me check. Wait here will ya.” Hanji opens the door behind her and walks in, leaving Eren alone in the shop.

He looks around again, playing with his finger to distract his mind. The other costumer who had just bought the wind-embedded-dagger reaches his back pocket and fishes out his money pouch then puts it on the stand. He pours the money and counts the amount that he needed to pay for the magic.

Eren turns his head and sees the short man is still standing beside him. He taps his finger on the stand impatiently.

Upon looking closer, Eren can see that the man is wearing black coloured nail polish and his ear is pierced with strange looking metal in the shape of  _fleur-de-lis_. They match his appearance perfectly.

The man feels Eren’s stare and he turns to look at the boy. “Got a problem brat?”

“N-no.” Eren quickly looks away and lowers his head. The man clicks his tongue and goes back to staring at nothing in front of him.

Seconds later Hanji returns to the shop with a small vial in her hand. “Found it! There’s only one vial left, lucky you.” She winks one at Eren and gives him the vial, carefully. “You do know how much that tear cost, don’t ya?”

Eren nods. “I know. The price is ridiculous.”

“Mermaids aren’t exactly friendly boy.” Hanji replies with another laugh. Eren just grunts softly.

“Hey, Hanji how much does the magic cost?” the other customer next to Eren has finished counting his money. He’s about to pay for the item when his hand grabs the dagger and touches the swirling wind around the knife with his bare hand.

“Don’t!” Hanji’s warning came too late and the wind blasts in every direction with bullet-like speed. It blows everything in its way. The shelves are shaking, bottles of potion crash down the floor, and papers flew everywhere around the room.

Eren gasps when the wind blows the vial fall off his hand and he quickly jumps to catch the expensive item. He manages to catch it seconds before the glass container reaches the floor and spills everything inside to the hard concrete.

The brunet closes his eyes and holds the vial safely until the wind calms down and swirls around the knife again.

“Shit! I told you not to touch the damn magic! It’s active!” she shouts to her customer.

Eren is shocked to seeing that. Is she allowed to do that? Usually people l treat their customers nice even when they’re dealing with jackass.

“S-sorry Hanji, shit that scared me.”

“You bet it’s scary. If the wind gets violent my shop will be ruined.”

“Okay okay, I said I’m sorry.” The customer apologizes again and closes the ellipse cup to hold the dagger inside. He shoves all of his money to Hanji.

“Here, take ’em all. Hope it’s enough to cover the damage.”

The man immediately leaves the shop and Hanji weighs the money on her hand. “Yeah it’s enough alright.” She sighs and turns her body to Eren’s direction.

“Sorry, you must be surprised.”

Eren gets up from the floor and brushes the dust of his clothes. “Yeah I was kinda surprised. Lucky the vial didn’t break though.”

Hanji circles the stand to approach Eren but her face when she look at him is very weird. She looks shocked because of something and Eren just can’t understand what’s happening. It’s as if she was surprise to see his face…

Wait maybe that’s it, the wind was blowing hard so his hood may have been fall off from his head. He raises his arm to check and – sure enough – the hood has fallen to the back of his head.

When he looks to the side, Eren realizes that the black haired man is also staring at him with piercing eyes, so sharp and unwavering, looking at his face intently. The brunet gulps, a lump in his throat as he brings his arm down.

“Uh…well…I should pay for this.” Eren says nervously, trying to avoid the situation.

“Kid, you’re not from around here, are you?” says the silky smooth voice as the owner folds his arms in front of his chest. Eren doesn’t know why but that voice is always pleasant to his ears. He can’t help to wonder about the man. Is he from around here? Eren has never seen him before.

“Um, No. Well maybe yes. Actually, I lived near the border so I guess I’m from around here.” Eren’s answer sounds so jumbled.

He feels conflicted to let the man knows where he lives or not. God knows what the man’s job is anyway, he could be one of the hunters who wanted to kill him and Mikasa.

The black haired man clicks his tongue and walks closer to Eren. He bows down to pick up Eren’s grocery bag and fruits which scatter all over the floor.

“Oh wait, let me help you with that.” Eren immediately bows to help but the man raises his arm to stop the boy.

“Just stay there.” He says while picking up the last fruit and he holds the bag in his arm.

A few seconds have passed but the man doesn’t give his groceries back. Eren is a bit confused now because the man just standing still, staring at him with those sharp blue-grey eyes.

“Um…”

“Well? Aren’t you going to pay for that shit?”

“What?”

 “The vial brat.”

“Oh this, yeah, I should pay for it.” Eren turns around then walks over to Hanji who’s still staring at him with curiosity.

He feel uncomfortable with the continuous stares from Hanji and the man. He wasn’t supposed to stay this long and certainly wasn’t supposed to show his face to anyone. Allies and enemies are hard to keep apart when you’re everybody’s target.

“Here. Thanks.” Eren shoves all of the money without asking the amount he should be paying. He just wants to get out of the shop immediately.

Eren turns his body around and walks to the black haired man. “Thank you sir, I should go back now.” he says while extending his hand, asking for his groceries.

“These are dragon fruits. You’re a rider?” the man asks again and Eren holds his breath.

He completely forgot about the fact that dragon fruits are popular amongst riders because only Dragons like it.

“Uh no, I’m not. My friend is. I should hurry back. Thanks for helping.” Eren snatches the groceries from the man’s arm and his finger brushes the man’s skin. It felt icy, cold and pale. He shudders a bit from the inhuman feeling of the skin.

The boy quickly walks out of the shop and climbs the stairs in haste. It is almost midnight and Eren is late, very late. Mikasa won’t like this and, most probably, he’ll have to deal with a long speech today or tomorrow.

Back in the store, the black haired man and Hanji were looking at each other in silence, though Hanji looks like she’s about to lose her shit anytime now.

“Holy shit Levi! Those were the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen!”

“Yeah…” Levi walks over to the stand and rests his arms on top of it.

“Do you know the last time I saw such beautiful colours? It’s when King Jaeger’s son is born.”

“I know…”

“And if he’s alive, they’d be the same age! Could it be him?”

“He’s not Hanji. How many fucking time do I have to tell you that he’s dead. All of them are. I was there.”

“But maybe you’re mistaken. Maybe he’s alive somehow and  _that_  boy could be him!“ 

“Just leave it four eyes. My fiancé…my half wing is gone. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Levi’s expression turns dark when he remembers the past that haunts him till this very day. He refuses to accept the possibility that his fiancé, whose name is not even made public yet, is alive somewhere. He couldn’t save the royal family when the massacre happened and he is convinced that the missing half-wing-tattoo on his shoulder blade is a punishment for it.

Hanji, on the other side, believes that King Jaeger’s son is alive. The boy could be him and she will stop at nothing to prove it.


	2. I See You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's little adventure in the Wind Kingdom's Capital City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh...Okay, I should've update this a week ago but it's kinda hard to find the time to write between my job so i just got it finished now.  
> I'm so so sorry for the late update but here we go.
> 
> I got help from Chibinico to beta this chapter and she did such a wonderful job XD  
> Chibinico thank you soooo much for your help sweetie *hug hug*
> 
> Enjoy reading!

Levi woke up to find himself thinking about the boy he met two days ago. He was sitting on the bed without any clothes on his body, showing off his pale skin and well define muscles. His lower half was only covered by thin blanket since the weather was warm. Dark bruises under his eyes were very apparent because he didn’t get much sleep for the whole two days.

The brat’s face lingered in his mind and he couldn’t shake the thought that he may have been one of the survivors of the massacre years ago. There was also a possibility that he is a royalty due to his eye color. But what he saw years ago was a definite proof that all of the royal family was murdered. Or maybe his mind was playing a trick on him.

True he saw King Grisha and Queen Carla stabbed in front of his eyes, but he only heard a child’s scream and a dragon in its’ crystalized form soaked in blood inside the prince’s room. So he immediately assumed that the prince was murdered as well.

Levi ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He wanted to think that the green eyed boy was a survivor from the war but false hope could be destructive, especially if he hung on too tight on a mere possibility.

He pulled his blanket away and got up from his bed, not caring that he didn’t wear any clothes because no one was around. His feet carried him to the bathroom and he quickly cleaned himself up before attending the opening ceremony of The Dragon Campaign.

Once he finished, he wrapped a bathrobe around his toned body and stepped out of the bathroom.

“Hey Levi, ready to go?”

“Jesus fuck Hanji! You scared the shit out of me. What the hell are you doing in my room?” Levi startled when Hanji’s voice greeted him in his chamber. That Necromancer had a bad habit of sneaking into someone else’s room without permission.

“Sorry, I thought you got up hours ago.” she replied while snickering to herself.

“I did.”

“Oh? You did. Then what are you doing dilly dallying in your room for ages when you should be in the ceremony hall right now?”

“Getting some privacy before meeting creatures like you. Get out.”

Hanji laughed when hearing Levi’s complain on the lack of privacy. “Okay, okay, I’ll go out now. Hurry up on the make-up, will ya? Everyone’s waiting.”

“Fuck off.” Levi retorted and earned another laugh before her body evaporated in the air as she teleported out of his room.

Levi clicked his tongue and resumed to dry his body while picking up clothes to wear. He chose a black long sleeve shirt and black pants. Then he equipped his Dark Eternal Breastplate and Gaiters and tightened the straps, making Levi’s intimidating figure look more deadly.

It was an armory set, specially designed for royal family of the Dark Dragon’s race. The armor was molded from a Dark Dragon’s poisonous scales and harden by the blood of a Crystal Dragon’s rider. Both races used to have a very peaceful relation until the attack happened and nearly wiped the Crystal Dragon’s race to extinction.

Levi respected the Jaeger family because they were the only ones that didn’t regard his race as a mere blood thirst species. So when the engagement between him and King Jaeger’s son was proposed, he was more than happy to accept, yet the wedding never happened.

Once the armor had been firmly equipped, he picked up his Blood Swords and slipped them in their sheaths on each side of his hips. The black colored armor shone elegantly with golden linings patterns on it, adding beauty to the darkness.

With smooth steps, King Levi walked out of the room then headed for the King’s chamber, where he was supposed to make an appearance hours ago. When he reached the chamber, two guards immediately opened the heavy door to let him in.

“King Levi of the Dark Realm!”

One of the guards shouted to announce his present to the entirety of guests and all eyes shifted to see the King’s first public debut.

The Dark Dragon’s race was known for their discreet nature from the public eyes. They rarely showed themselves because most humans considered them as a threat due to their need to feed on souls in order to survive. In reality Levi never drank human souls, he only take Titan dragons souls to satiate his hunger.

As Levi walked to his seat he could see Erwin on his throne continuously tapping his fingers. Mike Zacharias, Erwin’s other half wing mate who’s also served as the kingdom’s Ministry of Defense stood on the left side while on his right side stands a blond boy with blue eyes who was probably the Wind Realm’s Advisor and Magician.

Levi’s seat was located next to Erwin’s and he could see other kings have already taken their seats in the chamber. Hanji had arrived as well, standing next to Levi’s chair wearing a black tunic and a hawk on her left shoulder. Everyone had assembled and the campaign opening ceremony was ready to begin.

“You’re late Levi. That’s unusual.” King Erwin greets Levi while looking at the raven from the corner of his eyes.

 Levi click his tongue, resting his leg on top of the other and leaned lazily to the back. “Shut up. I’m not supposed to be here anyway.”

“Yes you are. After such a long time you’ve finally come to this event. Maybe we can finally see your kingdom and Thunder Dragon kingdom made peace this year.”

“Don’t push your luck.”

Erwin chuckled before looking away from Levi to his other guests.

“Thank you for coming to The Dragon Campaign. It is a great honor to have all kings come to this peaceful land.”

Erwin stood up from his seat and walked to the center of the room.

“I feel so grateful that this year King Levi decided to come and join us. Though he sent his best fighter every year to participate in the tournament, His presence is still considered most valuable to all of us.”

“Murderer! He nearly wipe my race to extinction!” Kitts Wellman, the Thunder Dragon’s King, shouted while pointing his finger to Levi. Other kings frowned due to the sudden interruption.

“Looks who’s talking. What I did was nothing compared to your sin in killing all of the Crystal Dragon’s race.” Levi retorted.

“That race deserved to be exterminated because of King Jaeger’s greed! They won’t share those crystals with the other races!”

“Shut up filthy pig. Who would’ve wanted to share with motherfuckers like you, huh?”

“You were after their crystal too! That’s why you agreed to married the young prince.”

“Shall I shut that mouth for you? Because I will rip it and feed the bloody meat to dogs.”

“How dare you! I will make you remember how strong our race is!”

Kitts Wellman stood from his seat to raise his hands. All of his guards were ready to attack. Levi sat straight on his chair and clenched his hands to accumulate power. Just before both sides were ready to launch their attack, a strong wind suddenly blew to all directions.

The wind was very strong and a furious one because it made Kitts’ guards fly across the room.

Levi can hold his ground easily because Hanji had cast a barrier for both of them. Her fast reaction to the sudden attack is what made her the most talented Necromancer in the world. The barrier soon changed into black hole and consumed the wind that blew their way.

They waited until the furious wind died down and slowly the sight of a messy chamber could be seen. Hanji retracted her barrier.

“Thanks.” Levi said with low voice.

“Anytime Levi.” She replied.

The room now looks messy with stuff and guards lying all over the room. Foods wasted and splattered on the floor, drinks spilled everywhere, and the sights of fallen guards were undeniably humiliating for Kitts Wellman. Levi felt disgust by the sight of the dirty hall and he would have liked to return to his room immediately.

“I appreciate if none of you starts a fight here. Chaos in a peace summit can ignite a war.” Erwin’s deep voice warned everyone present in the room as he brings his hands down after casting the wind magic. He would not tolerate any bloodshed in his kingdom as Wind Dragon’s race was known for their peaceful nature.

“Gentlemen, the very purpose of this campaign is to ease the political tension between races. The massacre that took place years ago is not something that we can forgive and forget easily but we must think of our people before starting a war. I believe that peace can be achieved amongst all of us, even if it’s takes years.”

Erwin turn his body around and returned to his throne. “Now, without further delay, let us enter the Dome to begin the campaign and celebrate the peace.”

All kings rose from their seats and left the chamber one by one. Levi stayed in his seat until everyone was gone and then rose to walk out of the room as well.

“Levi.” The raven stopped in his tracks when Erwin called him.

“You are here to draw him out. Do not forget that.” Erwin said again.

Levi clicked his tongue and continued walking out of the room, leaving Erwin and his two loyal officials in the chamber.

\-----

 

Eren stopped in front of the huge city gate with sparkling eyes. He felt very excited because he never thought that there would be a day where he could walk in the open like this. He didn’t need to hide his appearance, didn’t need to plan his move carefully, and nobody cared about him. He’s just ordinary boy now and the hunters won’t recognize him at all.

The boy inhaled the fresh air and then blew in contentment. He’s got nothing to fear, no need to hide, free to do whatever he wanted. His cover is perfect and no one recognizes him at all. He’s free because the mermaid tears had changed his appearance completely. Now he has blond hair, freckled cheeks, blue eyes, and pale skin, though his body structure remains the same. Somehow he looks like Armin but it doesn’t matter.

Before Eren left, Armin had reminded him over and over that the tear’s effect will fade after 10 hours. So if he goes in the morning like today, he must return to cave before the sun set on the west. His blond friend stressed about the time again and again so that Eren wouldn’t forget.

Okay he gets it. He didn’t need to be reminded repeatedly. He’ll just take a peek on the tournament, see Levi, and then go back home.

Eren started to run into the city. He felt the air brushing his skin and the sun burning his eyes. The smell of spices burst through his nostril as he passes by the street market.

There are so many merchants selling different things such as beans, pearls, weapons, armors, flowers, silk fabric, jewelry and many others that make Eren amaze. It seems like ages ago since the last time he walked around town.

Though he was born a royalty, his mother used to take him to the street market. Carla insisted that he must know his people by heart to love them wholeheartedly, and that means he must know their life every day.

Hand in hand Eren walked with his mother and learned how people lived their life: watched them making trades, exchanging words with one another, or sometimes saw a couple making affectionate display to each other (this was where Carla covered Eren’s eyes with her hand).

He missed those happy times. His mother’s hand was very warm and so was her smile. His father rarely accompanied them, but every day without fail Grisha would always ask what Eren found in the street after he got home. Be it a fight, a simple transaction, a bargain, a new store, anything.

Eren would always tell Grisha about his new findings while sitting on his father’s lap. The King would listen to him for hours with the same warm smile while patting his head once in a while.

Eren’s heart pained a little when he recalled those memories. Time flies by too fast for those who enjoy it and if by any chance Eren could turn back the time, he’d definitely want to return to the time when he can bask in his parent’s love.

The boy wiped his teary eyes and continued to walk into the center of the market.

 “Hey boy! How about a pearl for your girlfriend? I’ll give you a discount!”

“Fish! Fresh fish from the ocean!”

“Fresh vegetables! Buy some cabbages and carrots!”

Various offers from merchants enlivened the street. Tourist and local buyers stopped by to look around and purchase whatever caught their eyes.

Eren continued to walk while scanning all various items on sale. He made a stop at the fruit store to buy dragon fruits, apples, and some cheap accessory as gifts. Eren didn’t have much money in his pocket but Mikasa was always grateful for whatever he bought her.

Then he made another stop to buy a story book for Armin, a new pair of shoes for himself and binoculars to see the game later on. Eren couldn’t help but feel happy for the new pair of shoes because his old ones had holes everywhere.

By the time he finished shopping, an announcement was made by the royal guard, informing that the tournament for 7 meters class dragons and 15 meters class dragon will soon begin.

This was the event that he had been waiting for his whole life. Eren dashed to the dome and quickly found a seat in the stadium. He picked up an apple and ate it while waiting for the opening ceremony to begin.

He look around and saw supporters from each race flooding the dome. They painted their face with the race’s symbol, waving their race’s flags, cheering their favorite team, and some girls even wagging their ass for the participants to see.

Eren look away and take another bite from his apple. He wondered what Levi looked like. Tall, handsome with blond hair and deep voice like King Erwin? Or maybe he’s a big guy with muscular arms and scars on his face. That would fit his image as the strongest fighter perfectly.

His heart was pounding, couldn’t wait to see his idol to make appearance on the King’s chair across from him. He took another bite from his apple and finished it on the next bite. Once finished, he wiped his mouth using the arm’s sleeve and dove his hand into the grocery bag to pick another apple but stopped when he heard a trumpet blows to announce the arrival of the Kings.

The guard announced the arrival of Fire Dragon King, Ice Dragon King, Light Dragon King, and Thunder Dragon King but Eren didn’t really listen. He kept waiting for the Dark Dragon’s King to make his appearance. The guard announced Wind Dragon King’s arrival with Armin and Mike Zacharias and then the last name that the guard announced was the one he had been waiting for so long.

“King Levi of the Dark Realm!”

Eren quickly put on his binoculars and zoomed it until he could see clearly who’s entering the dome. A man wearing full black armor and two Blood Swords hanging on his hips entering the building with graceful steps. Black shiny hair which parted in the middle looked so smooth to the touch. Pale skin, sharp blue stormy eyes smear with black eyeliner that reflect boredom, beautiful face with thin pursed lips and an earring hanging on his ear makes him look more stunning.

It was him. The man he met that night when he bought the mermaid tears. That intriguing, short man is none other than Levi, Humanity’s Strongest Rider, the one that he’s been looked up for so long. The strongest rider is a man with foul mouth and pretty face.

Eren’s jaw almost dropped to the floor when he looked at him walking inside the dome and taking his seat next to King Erwin and Necromancer Zoe. The boy gasped again when he looked at Hanji, the shop keeper, sitting next to Levi which was introduced by the guard as Necromancer Zoe. That chipper shop keeper was actually the most powerful black wizard and Eren had no idea at all.

His mind was a mess as the truth in front of his eyes was very shocking. His hand griped tighter as he inhaled deeper. He’s finally able to see Humanity’s Strongest Rider face and he actually had talked to Levi before the campaign! Though it was not a full conversation but it still counted as communicating.

He exhaled long and held the binoculars to his heart. What a surprise. A really nice surprise and it seems that Mikasa has lost the bet.

 

\-----

 

The rest of the day was spent watching riders compete in the tournament. While watching, Eren moved from one chair to another just to get himself closer to where Levi sat. Though he couldn’t get too close to the King, the boy was content to see that pale face without his binoculars.

He watches Levi rest his head on his hand, lazily watching the game with half lidded eyes. He look bored and waiting for the perfect opportunity to get out of there. It will be just a couple more hours until the tournament is over so Eren’s used up all his time to watch his idol from afar.

When the last participants had ended their fight, all Kings stood from their seats and were ready to leave. Levi stepped out of the dome first and then the other Kings followed. Eren sighed in disappointment to watch Levi leave the dome but there’s nothing he can do.

The next event was a party for royalties and aristocratic families. Of course Levi would attend the party but there’s no way Eren could join. He’s just a fugitive who runs constantly from hunters.

With slouched shoulders, Eren walked towards the exit and got ready to go back home along with a thousand other spectators. The sun had moved to the west and showered the earth with orange ray. Eren looked up above and felt a little sad that his fun day was over. He must return home now while praying that one day he’ll get another chance to see Levi again.

When he walked home, he saw a carriage stop in the middle of the busy street. A middle aged man was arguing beside the carriage with two guards. The man was complaining about something while pointing at a broken wheel. Eren stepped closer to listen.

“So what am I supposed to do, huh? Leave it here? My carriage loaded with props for tonight’s entertainment! Get your men to help bring it in!”

“I’m sorry Sir but we can’t do that. We’re kind of short on men here because guards in the palace are doubled.”

“Then get these rabbles to work and give them some money! They’re hungry enough to comply anyway.”

The words coming out of the fat old merchant pissed Eren off. He stepped up to face the loud mouthed bastard in the eye. The merchant looked surprise by the sudden approach.

“Wh – What is it?”

“Don’t you dare called these people _rabbles_.”

“What’s wrong with calling a peasant with rabble? It is _what_ they are!”

Eren grabbed the front of the man’s shirt and lifted him up so that the boy can get a better look of his face.

“Listen up asshole. Without these _peasants_ , you rich bastards won’t have buyers. Poverty is not something someone chooses to have but shit happens so you better not humiliate them.”

“Wha – what the hell is wrong with this kid?! Hey guards! Catch him! Catch him and you’ll be rewarded handsomely or I’ll report to King Erwin that you useless guards are not protecting me!”

Eren fisted his hand and swung his arm back to deliver punches to the man’s face but he was soon interrupted by two guards. Both men pulled Eren away from the old merchant as the boy struggled to get away from their grip but it was useless.

“Get off of me! Let me go!” he screamed his heart out while swaying his arms and legs. Both soldiers held him harder and pulled him further away from the merchant.

“Get him inside that carriage. I can still sell him as a slave.” Said the fat guy while he smoothed his crumpled collar.

“Let go!! You fucking bastard!!” Eren screamed and screamed again but his effort to get away was useless. The guards were stronger than him and he’s being dragged like an angry dog.

One guard opens the door to the big carriage and throw him in. Eren yelped in pain and he heard another scream from inside. His head bumped into something.

“Enjoy the ride, boy.” The guard closed the door and locked it from outside.

Eren quickly got up from the floor and reached for the door only to find that it was sealed tight. He banged the door while shouting profanities, feeling totally pissed at the rich bastard.

“It’s useless. You’ll only hurt your hands.” A soft voice spoke to him and Eren turned his head to look over from his shoulder.

He saw girls inside – ten of them – sitting quietly next to each other, wearing a costume similar to a dancer. Their expressions were either empty or sad and none of them looked happy.

“Get away from the door. You wouldn’t wanna bump into the walls when this carriage walks.” Said a girl with blond hair tied in a bun.

Eren stared at them one by one carefully. From the way they dressed and the way they put on accessories and make up, they looked like dancers or prostitutes. Rumor said that Kitts Wellman liked woman very much.

The carriage was big and there was enough lighting inside so he scanned his surroundings. There are two barred windows on each side of the carriage but they look impossible to break with bare hands. Eren look at the blond girl again.

“Are they selling you?”

The blond girls shake her head. “No, we used to be servants but then the Reeves family took us and trained us as dancers. So I guess we just changed profession.”

“Oh.”

“You’re in shitty situation.”

Eren sighed and turned his body around then sat down. “Yeah…”

“That’s what you get for being a bra – “Her words suddenly cut off and Eren can hear other girls gasp.

“What? What are you trying to say…? Why are you all staring at me like that?”

A petite blond girl lifts her arm and pointed at him. “Your hair…it changed.”

Eren’s eyes widened in shock and he quickly scanned the place for a mirror. He found one lying next to a girl and he snatched it to look at his face. His hair started to change back from blond into chestnut color, his freckles disappeared and the turquoise color back to his eyes. His pale skin turned dark, and his mouth and jaw returned to their original shape.

The magic had run out. He didn’t pay attention to the time because he was inside a carriage. Eren would soon meet traders who wanted to make him a slave or worst he’ll meet hunters who want his blood.

\-----


	3. Mystic Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting with exotic male dancer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> Thank you so much for reading and all of the kudos and comments!  
> Chibinico helped me to beta this chapter too and as always she did a great job!  
> Thank you dear! Your help means a lot to me <3 <3 <3
> 
> Enjoy reading!

Levi sighed for the fifth time that night. He nearly gave up on the idea to refuse Hanji’s invitation to the party because she’s noisy as hell. The dark witch insisted that Levi attend the party for political purposes because he and Kitts almost killed each other on the morning assembly.

Tonight’s party was the best possible way to show the other race that their relationship could still be saved.

“Rejection is not an option. War shouldn’t happen again.”

“I really want to shut your mouth with my fist.”

“Well, that might be hurt but I can still bear it.” Hanji grinned.

“Then I’ll just destroy your lab and burn your records.”

“No! If you destroy my lab, the experiment will be incomplete and I can never track him down.”

“Him?”

“You know, the pretty boy from yesterday.”

Levi sighed again, the sixth time tonight. “Stop bothering the brat. That piece of shit can’t be Crystal Dragon race’s prince.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I fucking saw his crystalized dragon.”

“Not very convincing.”

“Doesn’t have to be. Now leave me alone and go to the party by yourself.”

“No can do.”

“Whatever.”

“You can see exotic dancers from the fire realm. They have the most beautiful chicks in store.”

“Not interested.”

“Then how about the cutest male dancer.”

“Fuck you.”

“Male dancer with blue-green eyes?”

Levi rolled his eyes. “It’s called turquoise you idiot.”

“Ah! So you did think about the boy’s eye color. I was having difficulties to determine what color are they but you hit the jackpot!”

“I’m not thinking about him.”

“Then you should attend the party to forget about him. Or would you rather lock yourself up in this room so that you can recall his beautiful eye color in your head.”

“Goddammit four eyes!”

“So I was right? You are going to lock yourself up in your room and fantasize the boy.”

“OKAY! FINE! I’ll go.” Levi got up from his bed, stomping out of his room with profanities flowing out of his thin lips. He opened the door roughly and slammed it shut with a loud bang.

Hanji plug her ears with a smile on her face when Levi angrily agrees to attend the party. She casted a spell and her body evaporated into black smoke as she carried herself to the party.

Levi walked as fast as he could to the party hall where all Kings had assembled. He saw Erwin talking to The Fire Realm’s most well-known blacksmith, Jean Kirschtein. The blond noticed his arrival and waved his hand but Levi didn’t wave back and dragged his feet to an empty desk in front of a stage instead. He figured that the stage will be used for tonight’s performance so he might as well enjoy himself rather than discussing politics with the other king.

He sat and made himself comfortable on the comfy chair. A servant approached his desk and put down a glass of wine in front of him. Levi look up, frowning deep.

“I didn’t order that.”

“With our compliment, Sir. King Erwin’s order.”

Levi clicked his tongue and looked away. “Fine. Get lost.”

The servant bowed and left him alone with his drink. Levi swiped his finger on the rim of the glass and tapped his nails on the bowl. He lifted the glass and took a sip before putting it back. The taste was good but he found himself unable to concentrate on the quality because the brat’s face appeared in his head again.

The more he thought about it the more he wanted to make sure that the kid was one of the war survivors. But how could he make sure of that when he didn’t even know his name or how to find him again. He was about to take another sip when suddenly the lights went dim.

“What…”

He stood up, ready to throw the desk and yell at Erwin but his movement was stopped when some torches lit up, creating a faint glow on the stage. The sound of percussion in slow rhythm started to fill in the room, creating a mysterious atmosphere as well as getting the audience’s attention for the upcoming dancer.

The slow rhythm reminded Levi on one of the Middle East music: soft, dark, yet alluring. Soon the sound of flute and taus followed, bringing a song which represented the exotic night. The curtain opened to reveal a dancer who’s standing in the middle of the stage. It was a male dancer with a body which was way too erotic for his own good. Levi sat back down to see the show.

There was a golden transparent veil over his head while another veil covered his mouth. He wore a three-piece satin belly dance costume added with a hip transparent scarf to accentuate his body curve. The harem pants also came in golden color and the transparent fabric made Levi easily spot the underwear beneath it. The costume deliberately showed his V-shape underwear to flaunt the delicious looking butt and his long tan legs which moved with grace.

When the music was getting more tune and rhythm, the dancer stepped forward with one leg crossing the other. He lifted the veil on his head and slowly brought his hand down to drop the fabric.

Levi had never seen such alluring face. Half lidded turquoise eyes staring at him, sparkling in lust and temptation, glazed with a seductive look. His chestnut hair had been decorated with pendant headband, dangle earrings in the same golden color, slave bracelet in both hands, and jingle bells anklet that makes small sounds every time he wiggle his legs.

Levi’s eyes were glued to the dancer in front of him when the boy lifted his arms up and swayed his hips in circling moves. What an illegal act to seduce men.

Those hips moving slowly, teasing the audience with that glowing tan skin of his lean waist and perfect abs.

He brought his arms down while tracing the line of his waist and hips, then brought them to the side as he made wave movement with both arms. He took another step forward while wiggling his hips and wrist to make the dangling coins jiggle. Then he turned his body around twice and grabbed two of the torches from the stage’s props.

He turned his body to the side, bringing one of his arms to the front while the other one stayed near his chest and switched them in turn while bringing his body down, arched back, until his head seemed to be almost touching the floor but hips still on the air.

Slowly he brought both arms down like a bird spreading its wings and pulled his body up again. He turned his body to face the audience and swung his left arm from side to the front. He pulled his arm until the torch was close to his mouth and spurt a liquid to make the fire burst.

Most of the audience was surprised but still watched him in awe as he repeated the same move with the torch in his other arm.

The shock and amazement brings the party back to life as all people give the dancer a merry applause.

The dancer wiggled his hips again, showing that seductive leg and ass while crossing his legs to step forward, as if to challenge the audience to hold their desire while he burns them from inside. Two dancers from behind the stage step into the front and take the torches away from his arms.

He untangled the hips scarf and throws it away as he slowly bring his body down on one knee and cross his arms in front of the chest, then closes his brilliant eyes to end the show.

It was a short dance, but most of the audience were captivated by his movements and once again the hall was filled with loud applause. The dancer stayed silent for a few seconds before he finally got up from the floor and bowed to the audience.

The lighting returned to the hall and the dancer’s figure is now clear to all eyes. He’s very young, tall and very attractive with that seductive costume. He was gasping for breath and sweat dripped down to his beautiful skin.

Levi got up from his seat and walked to the front of the stage. The boy noticed him and he stared with his turquoise eyes, cheeks flushed, and short breaths that made his chest move up and down. The view is more than alluring and Levi had to admit that he really wanted to take this brat to his bed right now.

“So you’re really not a rider huh?” Levi asked with his smooth voice.

The boy smiled shyly with cheeks even redder than before. “No, I’m not.”

“I thought all dancers tonight came from Fire Realm.”

“W-well I just happen to volunteer on this show.”

“Volunteer?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you didn’t get paid for the dance?”

“N-No…”

“What’s your name?”

“Eren…”

“Eren huh. Come with me brat.” Levi extended his hand for Eren to take and the brunet’s eyes immediately sparkled with excitement.

“I would love to – “

“Hey! He’s my slave! Get your hands off my fucking property!”

A sudden interruption makes Levi look away from Eren. He peeked behind to find that the man who yelled at him was Reiner Braun, Thunder Dragon’s most powerful rider. He won the competition five times in a row and held the world record champion until today. Levi never met him before but he could tell that Reiner’s rider skills are nothing to be afraid of.

The raven turned his body to face Reiner. “You should learn to shut your mouth in front of me.”

“Or what? Huh midget?”

“Or I’ll start a war. One that’ll almost bring your race to extinction just like fifteen years ago.”

“Bullshit. Humanity’s Strongest Rider? I never saw you fight before. You’re nothing.”

Some men started to gather behind Reiner with looks that were ready to kill. Levi recognized some of them as professional hunters who hunted down the remaining of Crystal Dragon’s race. They must have realized Eren’s distinctive eye color even under all of that make up. They drew their swords and so did Reiner, causing panic to the crowds.

“All of this just for one slave? He must be more than your boy-toy.”

Levi tried to lure Reiner’s true intention. If the whole race can see that Thunder Dragon’s race is still hunting Eren, then he can get rid of them with the other countries’ support.

“What I do to him is not your fucking business.” Reiner replied with swords ready in hand.

Levi gripped the handle of his swords and was about to draw them but Erwin walked in front of him and lifted his arm in front of the raven’s chest as a signal to stop. Levi let go of his swords.

“Reiner, I believe there is no need to create such a fuss over one slave unless there is something else about the boy just like Levi said. Can you lower your sword? If you continue this unpleasant display, I will have to take drastic measures.” Erwin threatened with his deep voice.

Reiner peeked at Kitts from the corner of his eyes and the old man nodded, signaling him to lower his sword. He complied and put his sword back into its sheath with a grin on his mouth.

“Of course King Erwin. I have no intention to start a fight here.”

Levi clicked his tongue and turned his body around to get Eren out of this room but he found an empty stage instead. It seems that when he fought with Reiner, Eren had run away.

“Oi Erwin, where did Eren go?”

Erwin frowned with a quizzical look on his face. “Eren?”

“The dancer. Don’t tell me you didn’t see him.”

“Did you mean the slave? I have no idea where he went. What makes you think I know?”

“Drop the act shitface.”

“I’m telling the truth. But Reiner’s boys have started to move. I think you should go back to your room now.”

Levi knitted his eyebrow, thinking about what Erwin’s meant by those words, but his mind was interrupted by the sudden feeling of the shield around his room being penetrated by a stranger. He couldn’t say exactly who entered his room just then but the feeling seemed nostalgic. He felt that presence years ago.

Levi looked at Erwin with his sharp blue-grey eyes then walk away from the hall. Erwin _knew_ where Eren went.

“Tsk!” he walked as fast as he could to his room before Reiner’s guard reached it. He felt the shield which protected his room become intact again; it meant that the intruder managed to come in and lock himself inside. It was surprising that someone could breakthrough his barrier, because the spell he casted was designed to poison whoever broke it without neutralizing it first. Only he and Hanji knew how to break the spell.

Levi stopped to see two of Reiner’s guards in front of his room. Apparently they’re thinking of a way to dispel the magic and get inside. Levi drew his Blood Sword and came closer.

“What are you two dickheads doing in front of my room?” he said while pointing his sword to their direction.

Both of them look at Levi with smiles on their lips which make the raven want to puke.

“He’s here, isn’t he? That’s why you got the barrier up.” Said one of the guards.

“Ever think that I made this barrier to keep scum like you out of my room? Beside this is special barrier. No fuckers can see it with naked eyes. Who told you?” Levi retorted while glaring at them with glowing sword in hand.

Both guards looked surprised by their own slip of tongue and their faces immediately paled when they recognized the Blood Sword as one of the most powerful weapon in the world. Anyone who got defeated in battle against that sword would have their blood drained until there was nothing left.

This was the reason why many people feared Levi as the human eater.

Their pale faces made Levi’s grip harder on the sword. He could feel the sword throb, hear its scream and demands for blood.

With one swing he could end both men’s life and satisfy the sword’s craving for blood, but he could also start another war with Kitts Wellman and all of Thunder’s Realm. It was not wise to kill them now but some other time would do.

“You recognize this sword, hm? Can you hear its hunger? It wants your filthy blood.” Levi threatened with his deep voice.

Both men trembled slightly and smiles had disappear completely from their faces. “You won’t kill us.”

“Maybe not, at least not now. But soon you’ll make a fine meal for my babies and maybe they want your family too.”

“No…” their faces have gone even paler than before when their family’s lives were also on the line.

“Then fuck off. _Now_.”

Both of them ran as fast as their feet could carry, away from Levi’s room and his deadly weapon. As the footstep grew further, he put his sword back to its sheath. His palm burned from holding the sword too hard without feeding its need.

Blood swords would get angry if their master didn’t feed them for a certain period of time and he got hurt a lot for trying to hold their hunger back. Levi didn’t want to hurt people more than necessary so he often fed them with animal’s blood.

He ignored the bloodied palm for now and opened the door with his other hand. His room was dark and looked the same as he left it this afternoon but now he can feel someone’s presence inside.

“I know you’re here. Come out or I’ll fucking destroy the whole room and feed you to my dragon.” 

Levi look around and gripped the handle of his sword, ready to slash whoever showed up in front of him because he hated uninvited guests. After five seconds of silence, there was a movement from under his bed. Something or someone was trying to crawl out from under the bed and he’s more than surprised to find a long legs and delicious looking butt peek out first.

“What the…”

The intruder kept crawling out backwards to get out from under the bed and it turned out to be none other than Eren, the boy with green sparkling eyes, messy hair with tangled head accessories.

“Fuck brat. I almost killed you. How the hell did you get in here?” Levi extended his hand to help the boy stand up. Eren took it with red cheeks, looking shy.

“Sorry…This is your room? I thought it belongs to Necromancer Zoe.”

“It’s mine. How did you penetrate the barrier?”

“Barrier? Oh the magic? I don’t know. They lift up by themselves when I got in.” Eren’s expression didn’t reflect any lies but Levi was not completely convince that his barrier were able to be broken without any effort.

He stared at the boy’s eyes. Minutes ago he was sure that Eren’s eye color was turquoise but now he wasn’t so sure anymore. Illuminated by the moonlight which peek from the windows, they somewhat change into blue, a very clear blue color combined with silver and light green. They’re mesmerizing.

“What…?” Eren asked with a soft voice. He felt hot under the intense stare. He knew he shouldn’t think too much about it but the situation was very awkward.

Levi didn’t let go of his hand and those stormy blue eyes were staring at him without blinking. Eren’s heartbeat started to rise so he pulled his hand back. This was not good, the longer he stayed here the more he wanted to be near Levi. He needed to go home right now.

“I…gotta go. Sorry for barging in.” He said with weak smile.

“Did they chased you?”

“Huh? Oh…yeah.”

“Why?”

“Err…it’s complicated.”

“I deserve an explanation for protecting you.”

“It’s a long story.”

“I have time.”

“I don’t…I’m sorry…”

Levi sighed in disappointment. “Then get out. Jump off from the window or something. I’m done.”

“Wha – “

“You heard me brat. Get the fuck out.” 

“But that’s just…hey wait. Your hand is bleeding.”

Levi didn’t realize that his burned hand started to bleed. When he looked at it, the blood was dripping to the floor. He clicked his tongue as he brought his hand down. “Leave it. Just get out.”

“No! Wait, let me see that. It’s the least I can do to repay you.”

Eren ripped his pants and wrapped the bloody hand with it. “Show me where the bathroom is. It needs to be cleaned first.” He said while giving pressure to stop the blood from flowing out but Levi snatched his hand and walked away.

“I’ll handle it by myself. Just get the fuck out.”

Eren chased him and grabbed his wounded hand again. “Wait! Please…I really can’t tell you now. But next time…next time if we meet again I’ll tell you everything.”

“Everything?”

“Yes…I may not telling you the truth right now but it’s not because I want to. I just…ugh it’s complicated okay. Just let me take care of your wound to repay you.”

Levi huffed out his breath. “Fine.” Levi walked to his bed and sat on top of it while tapping the mattress as a signal for Eren to sit beside him.

“Here. Fix me up.” Levi said again while extending his wounded hand.

Eren hesitantly walked to the bed and sat beside the king. “It should be cleaned first.” he reminded Levi again, but the raven just sighed.

“Just wipe the goddamn blood and patch me up.”

Eren nodded and slowly wiped the blood with the ripped cloth.

Levi’s calloused hand was big and strong. Every inch of his skin felt rough to the touch yet it cames in pale color. The boy cleaned the blood slowly, making sure that the wounded skin didn’t come in contact with the cloth.

Levi felt the soft touches while looking at Eren’s eyes. A slight golden color reflected in those blue-green eyes, making them more captivating than any gems he ever saw. His tan skin glowed beautifully under the pale moonlight, burning his desire to touch. The transparent fabric urged Levi to rip them off and caress what’s hidden beneath.

Eren finished cleaning the wound and looked up to see Levi’s face and makes sure he’s okay. But when their eyes met, his words died down in his throat. That blue stormy eyes looked at him intensely in silence, slowly seducing him to come closer.

He didn’t know who started it first. All he knew is that his head was moving closer and closer with eyes focused on Levi’s thin lips. Their lips met in feather like touch, carefully tasting the warmth of each other lips in the dark of the night. Levi tasted like cinnamon and rosemary tea, so sweet yet strong in his tongue.

Eren’s heart beat was increasing by the second and his body heat was rising. He trembled slightly with excitement and pleasure running through all over his body. His body felt weak and his head had gone blank.

When they pulled away, Eren instantly loved the way Levi look at him. Those blue-grey eyes filled with so many emotions and they shone in beautiful silver light.

Levi caressed Eren’s flushed cheek tenderly, savoring the feeling of his soft skin against his fingers. He brought his thumb to Eren’s lower lip and wiped the lipstick and saliva from it. He didn’t know what words best described his feelings right now but he wanted another one of that kiss.

“You’re gorgeous.” Levi whispered while still observing every single movement Eren made. He can see the boy’s cheek getting redder by the second and he caressed it again softly.

“Levi…”

Levi wanted to answer him but the urge to kiss the boy is far greater, so he kissed Eren one more time to feel those soft lips again and burns the sensation in his memory. It’s like a wicked spell, so delicious and it woke the greed inside him that he never knew. He heard the boy moan softly and felt the trembling finger pushing him away.

Eren broke the kiss with short heavy breaths. Levi could see the desire burn in his eyes but also a conflicted feeling that would force him to leave tonight.

“I…really should go home now…”

Levi bumped his forehead slowly to Eren’s while sighing in disappointment. “Yeah…you should…” he gave another kiss to the boy’s lips and got up from his bed.

“Wait there, I’ll change my clothes and take you home.” He simply said while walking away from the bed into the bathroom.

Eren watch the raven leave him with thundering heartbeat. He bit his lower lips, regretting the words that came out of his mouth but Mikasa would search for him anytime soon if he didn’t return to the cave before midnight. If she ever came to the city in her dragon or human form, hunters would soon recognize her and they’d both be in danger.

He closed his eyes, calming his heartbeat while whispering words to himself over and over again to forget what happen tonight. The brunet didn’t know what exactly happened back then but one thing for sure, he was slowly falling for Levi. Eren must return now, go back to his family and to his life.

The brunet got up from the bed and he felt a sting on his shoulder blade. Maybe he got hurt without realizing and he might need to get it checked with Armin.

\-----


	4. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little flashback of what happened to Eren before he met Levi in the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again~!  
> Thank you so much for reading this fic and leaving wonderful comments and also kudos!  
> They're are always very precious to me XD
> 
> Chibinico beta this chapter too and i'm MORE than happy with her job.  
> Thank you so much Chibinico XD
> 
> Enjoy reading :D

When Eren looked back, today was such a great day to start with, but just got ruined because he picked a fight with the richest merchant in town.

He sat in silence, watching his reflection in the mirror after the mermaid tear’s effect ran out. The other girls inside the carriage were stunned by the view in front of them. It was rare to see a complete body transformation even in this magical world.

Spells and potions that magicians often used for transformation only changed one or two parts of the body, but what they saw in front of their eyes was a full transformation.

Eren had turned back into his original appearance as he put the mirror down on the wooden floor. The carriage was moving steadily but the crowds that he heard from the market place were reduced until they disappeared completely. He assumed that they have entered the castle’s ground and soon people will know about him.

If he’s lucky no one would recognized his distinctive eye color, but if he’s not killed then he’ll be killed the moment they open the door.

“What are you?” asked a petite blond girl who shivered in fear.

“I’m human okay, don’t look at me like that.” Eren tried to answer gently so that he won’t scare the girl.

“You’re…. No way…. You’re one of the Crystal Realm’s people aren’t you?” another blond girl with hair tight up in a bun asked him.

Why does luck always leave his side? Now his life was already threatened even before the carriage’s door was open.

“Please, I don’t want trouble. If you want my blood then…I’ll have to kill you.” Eren replied.

The girl shook her head. “No, I don’t want your blood. I know your people. One of my friends used to live in your country until The Crystal Realm was destroyed along with its people.”

Eren exhale in relieve. It seems that god had not forsaken him yet. “Thank god. I was afraid that you’re gonna kill me too.”

“I don’t, but those men do. You better get away from here.”

“Sure, but how?”

“I don’t know…. Say, what’s your name? I don’t want to keep calling you ‘ _You_ ’. I’m Annie and this cutie over here is Christa.”

“I’m Eren.” The brunet offered his hand to shake but Annie stop midway and stared at him with wide eyes.

“Eren?” she asked again.

“Yeah.”

“Eren Jaeger? The Prince?”

Eren quickly retracted his hand and fisted his palm. “How the fuck do you know that? My mother said that my name was not yet revealed to the other countries.”

“I told you my friend used to live there, in the palace. His name is Armin Arlert.”

“Holy shit, you know Armin?”

“Yeah, I knew him, though I’m not sure where he is right now.”

“He’s here, in The Wind Realms, working as King Erwin’s Advisor. Armin’s grandfather hid us in this land after the war.”

“Really? He works for King Erwin now? Well he’s always been a bright kid.”

“Yeah, lucky him.”

“And you just got yourself into a bigger problem. You’ll be dead if anyone found out you’re a prince.”

“Fuck, you’re right.”

They got silent for few seconds before finally Annie spoke again. “Hey do you know how to dance?”

“What?”

“Dance. Can you do it?”

“You mean like a couple dance? Between two people? No, I can’t.”

“No, that’s not it. I mean do you know any traditional solo dance?”

“Like a performance dance? Well yeah, I only know one.”

“Good, we can use of that.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“You’re gonna dance as the King’s entertainment tonight.”

“Wha – No! No way, everyone will recognize me instantly! Beside that dance is embarrassing.”

“Not if you’re wearing make-up. Why is it embarrassing?”

“Because it’s a proposal dance! In my country, when a man proposed to her future bride’s family he will not receive the answer instantly at that time. The women has the right to decide whether she’ll take the proposal or not. If she decided to accept the proposal then she’ll answer by performing this particular dance as a way to say that she accepted it. This is part of the royal family proposal and wedding process and I was taught to do it too for my future um…fiancé.”

“Well, that’s good. You can do it then.”

“You’re missing the point here. If I perform that dance tonight in front of hundreds audience then I’ll be proposing to all of them!”

“Oh shut it, Prince. Nobody knows the meaning of that dance except you anyway. We don’t have much time and _you_ are gonna dance tonight.” Annie looked at Christa and the other girls. She nodded and the others nodded back, then she moved to the side of the carriage to search for something in the wooden chest.

“Hold him.” Annie said while Eren watched in horror as the other girls moved closer and circling him.

One girl caressed his cheek. “My my, your skin is so soft. It’s like a baby’s skin.”

Another girl caressed his hair. “His hair is silky despite how it looks.”

Christa stroked his chin slowly. “He doesn’t have a single hair on his face. We can do this, Annie.”

“Wait, wait. I’m not dancing and stop groping me!”

Eren’s struggle to stop them was useless. Despite their weak looks, these girls apparently were pretty strong because of the exercise they did every day. They started by stripping him naked, ordered him to wear the black panty before they put on the three-piece-satin-belly-dance-costume.

Accessories were the next in line for Eren to wear. They put on the golden pendant headband, dangle earrings, slave bracelets in both of his hands, and jingle bells anklets on both legs.

After they finished fixing his costume, Annie put some make up on him. She applied face powder first then smeared the pink lipstick on Eren’s full lips carefully. Annie then applied two shades of eye-shadow in purple and black color and dusted his cheek with blush-on.

She stopped for a second to check her work and she had never been satisfied like this. Eren looked gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous with the way his exotic turquoise eyes shined and the way his cheeks blushed even redder than the make-up. He look tempting, seductive, and also sexy with that body curve. This boy would definitely attract attention of rich perverts if he was sold.

For the last touch, she put on the golden transparent veil to cover his face and another veil on his head. Now the only thing left for Eren to do was pray so that nobody realized his disguise, especially the guards.

Annie wrapped her make-up kit quickly and tossed it back into the wooden chest.

“Everyone, go to the corner and act as if you’re frightened by something.” All girls move fast to the corner while Annie made a mess inside the carriage, then she quickly pulled Eren to sit against the wall.

“When that door is opened, you better hide your face and act frightened too.” She said while pointing her finger to Eren’s face and he nodded.

The carriage slowed down after they entered a room and then stopped completely. They must have arrived inside the palace, probably near the back door.

“Hey, open this door!” said a man outside. Soon Eren heard keys clanking as one of them was inserted into the keyhole. The guard outside twisted it twice before opening the door and the man’s expression soon turned to surprise when he realized that one of the passengers was not there.

“Wha – where is he? Hey you, where is he? Where’s the blond kid go?!” the man shout to all girls who duck their head, acting frightened.

“He disappeared! You brought a wizard into the carriage. He almost killed us!” Christa replied in shaky voice. Somebody ought to give her a reward for her acting skills.

“Where did he go?!”

“We don’t know. He vanish into the air after he tried to attack us. It’s not like we asked him where he went.”

“Ugh…shit…I’m gonna get into trouble.”

“Yeah yeah, we don’t care. Can we go down? We should be performing any minute now.”

“Yeah bitches. Go and entertain the kings.”

Annie stuck her middle finger before yanking Eren’s arm to go down from the carriage. The guard didn’t suspect him at all when they passed him by so they walk as fast as possible to avoid further damage.

Eren inhaled in relieve when they finally entered a room filled with stage props and costumes for dancers along with other girls. He was about to take his veil off from his face but Annie quickly grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“I wasn’t lying when I said that the performance will start any minute now.” She said.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes you are, because – “

“Hey! Where’s the solo dancer?!” a woman’s voice interrupted their conversation.

“In here! We’ll have him ready for the first show!” Annie replied.

Eren looked so confused and Annie couldn’t help to chuckle before explaining her self. “Our solo dancer is sick today and I was supposed to replace her, but when you came along I just have this great idea to ask for your help. Coincidently, you can dance too so you’re coming at the right time and the right place.”

“But I’m not – “

“Annie! Get her here!” Eren’s protests were cut again.

“Okay Ma’am!” she cheerily replied and looked at Eren. “Don’t worry about the song. Our musician knows every song including your country. I’ll talk to the band and you should get ready on stage.”

Annie pushed Eren to the stage and he stumbled behind the huge curtain. He was having cold sweat and his body can’t stop trembling. Eren was never trained to show up in public before so the thought of standing in front of hundreds of peoples made him really nervous. He couldn’t take it anymore so he turned around to get off the stage but the song had already begun and slowly the curtains were lifted up so for the sake of his disguise he must dance to the best of his ability.

“Help me, Mom.” He whispered to himself just before the curtain lifted up completely.

\-----

After the dance he met again with Levi and got involved in some incidents that brought him to this room. The pain in his shoulder blade just worsened as he opened the window and looked down below. The distance between the window to the lower balcony was not that steep so he decided that he’d escape through here.

Once again he found himself able to neutralize the barrier without sparing an effort when he extend his hand outside. He could see the magical barrier around Levi’s room but nothing happened when his hand passed through them so maybe the spell was incomplete.

He tried not to think about it too much because he had to get away from there before the raven came back. The thought of Dark Dragon’s King taking him home was definitely worth to die for, but he knew better than to let Levi knows where he lived. Mikasa wouldn’t like it and the raven will be vulnerable to the same danger he’s been through all these years if they got closer.

If Eren was a normal boy, he would’ve begged for Levi to take him home then see him again in the morning and visit him in the afternoon, but he was not that lucky so he’d have to satisfy with the current situation.

He jumped out and landed his feet on the roof tile while holding on to the window frame. He looked around to make sure no one noticed him then he jumped again to the lower balcony.

Eren looked above at Levi’s window for the last time. He’d never forget those piercing eyes, thin moist lips, and the burning heat that the two of them shared tonight. They may not see each other again for a long time and even if they meet again, there’s no way Eren could get close to Levi.

Their time together was really short and he almost regretted that he had to leave this early but he wouldn’t risk Levi being chased by Reiner or one of Kitts’ men. He’s afraid of the danger he’ll bring to the raven and The Dark Realm.

The boy closed his eyes, inhaling deep and exhaling long to make up his mind and leave. Eren opened his eyes and resumed to sneak inside the empty room and run as fast as he could to the back door of the castle.

It’s kind of hard to avoid patrolling guards around the hall, especially with his costume, but somehow he managed to escape and got out from the kitchen. When he’s outside, everyone was staring at him with curious look.

Eren just realized that he must’ve looked like one of the male prostitutes who escaped from their buyer. The ripped fabric on his leg worsen the situation because some drunken men started to pay special attention down below. They creeped him out.

“Hey there pretty thing.” One of the drunk men said to him while he walked closer to Eren.

“Wanna play with us?”

The boy quickly ran away from those men to avoid any trouble. He certainly couldn’t get into any right now so he had to get away at whatever cost.

It’s very late, his disguise had been uncovered, he didn’t bring any weapons, and worst of it all is that he’s still inside the town where half of the people hunted him down.

“Hey! Get him!” Eren heard one of the men yelled to catch him so he sped up and hoped that he could run them out.

He heard several footsteps following him but didn’t want to look behind because he needed to focus on the road and find the exit out of town immediately. Eren lost count on how many alleys he’d gone through and how many people he bumped while sloppily running away but when he saw the back gate standing just a few meters away from him, Eren had never felt more relieved in his whole life. This little trip to the campaign certainly made his life span shorten a few years.

“Gotcha!” Eren’s arm was suddenly yanked as his body was pulled from behind. The brunet yelped in pain because of the strong grip. His body was thrown to the wall and his back hit the brick in a loud slam. Eren felt dizzy but he tried to remain conscious while slowly opening his eyes to look at his attacker. He saw three men circling him with lust in their eyes and nasty body odor and breaths.

“Where are you going, pretty thing?” one of the men with muscles bigger than Reiner said to him with disgusting smile on his face.

“Escaping from your buyer?” said another man with a red face, probably because he consumed too much alcohol.

“How about we accompany you tonight? It’s such a shame to see that smooth skin shivering in cold.”

“Fuck off! Leave me alone!” Eren replied angrily with clenched fists and rebel eyes.

“Feisty one, aren’t you? Do you like to play rough pretty thing?”

The biggest of the three grab his wrists and pinned them above his head. Eren kicked his stomach but he didn’t budge at all and snicker instead.

“That tickles.” He said with the same disgusting smile while lowering his head to kiss Eren.

The boy felt his blood boiling from anger as he broke his fake long nail which actually contained fire magic. Fighters or riders who didn’t have magical power often bought stored magic to be casted on battlefield so that they could continue their trip without the help of magicians or spell-casters.

As soon as the fake nail broke, a fire burst to his attackers’ direction and surprised them. Eren broke free from the big guy’s grip and he punched him in the face, directly to the nose. The sound of a broken nose and a loud scream echoed in the silent night. Eren hastily got up to his feet and started to run to the gate’s direction but one of the men caught his arm again.

This time Eren turn his body around to hit his face but his blow was dodged and he got a hit on the stomach instead. Eren coughed several times as he was down on his knees with hands pressing on his stomach to ease the pain.

“I was trying to be nice to you but it seems that you wanted to play it rough.” The drunk man said while grabbing Eren’s hair and yanking it so that the boy could see him face to face.

“Since you’re a pretty one, I’ll satisfy you over and over again. Be grateful kid.”

That was the man’s last word before Eren saw a sword stabbing through his chest. The man was as shocked as Eren when it happened because no one seen it coming. His attacker let Eren’s hair go to touch the cold red steel that pierced through his body. He was about to scream but the sword glared in dark red color as his blood was drained completely.

Eren looked up to see Levi staring at him with eyes gleaming in anger and vexation. The man that was stabbed with the Blood Sword soon turned into lifeless bone and skin as he tossed the body aside like a dirty rag. The raven turned around to find the other two attackers and fed the Blood Sword in the same way.

Eren heard horrible screams coming out of their mouths but he was having a difficulties to stay awake because his consciousness was slipping away. He felt his hands tremble just before he closed his turquoise eyes and falls to the ground.

Levi tossed the lifeless body aside to pull out his sword. He didn’t need to wipe the blood stain because his sword absorbed all of the blood until there was nothing left. He put it back in the sheath that was attached on his hips as he walked closer to Eren.

He knelt down while picking up Eren’s body into his arms. “Stupid brat. What makes you think you can get away from me.” Levi softly whispered with a pained expression. He killed three people easily for a brat that he barely knew but his feeling told him that Eren was more than a stranger.

Levi stood up, carrying Eren in his embrace and at the same time he also felt a sudden pain on the left shoulder blade when his muscles tensed. He’d get Hanji to check, in case he was wounded when fighting with those bastards.

\-----


	5. Hunting You Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search for Eren has become more intense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ! Thank goodness i can finish this chapter on time.  
> Thank you and thank you so much for all kudos and comments!  
> I hope you like this chapter as well.
> 
> This one is unbeta'd too so please forgive typos and messy grammar DX  
> Happy reading!

Mikasa has been waiting for three hours after the sun set on the west. She was getting impatient to wait for Eren who was supposed to return home hours ago. She picked up her swords and slipped them in their sheaths on either side of her hips.

She got out of the cave and transformed into a dragon. Crystal flakes started to emerge from her skin and slowly they harden while forming into bigger scales. Her bone structure changed as it grew bigger and sturdier with sharp claws jutting out of her fingertips. Mikasa’s shoulder blade stretched as a pair of wings emerged from inside.

Within seconds the sight of the beautiful girl no longer exist. She’s now standing with four legs with sharp teeth and claws, and also crystal scales shining under the moonlight. She flapped her wings to lift her body up and then fly towards the Capital City of Wind Realm as fast as she can.

She got no time to worry about the possibilities of hunters that lurked in the woods because Eren’s safety is much more important than them.

When the city gate was within eyesight she turned back into human when airborne and falling to the ground. She landed safely and steadily on her two feet. Mikasa walk past the city guards on the gate that sound asleep and frantically start to search for her brother.

“ _Eren…Eren…_ ” she kept whispering the same name in her heart while searching every nook and cranny of the city.

Five minutes of searching on the market place and she haven’t found him yet. Her heart beat drumming even faster because of panic and as result her human skin crystalized partially, a sign that she nearly can’t control her human shape. Mikasa grit her teeth and her expression darkens, scaring the passerby.

She was about to go berserk when suddenly she heard a loud screaming not far from where she stood. Both swords in hands ready to slash out anyone who block her way as she quickened her pace towards the source of the scream.

Another screams were heard, multiple voices this time and they made Mikasa accelerate her steps even faster than before to reach the source. She took a turn into a dark alley and stop when her foot bumped into something. She looked down to see a human-like-thing lying on the hard pavement with crumpled dry skin and opened mouth with fear all over its face. It took a few more seconds for her to realized that the human-like-thing is actually human who’s blood were drained completely by something.

She covered her mouth with one hand; trying to hold the nauseating feeling that started to ran up to her throat and look away to find another body with the exact same condition lying not far from where she stood.

And then she saw it, a short man dressed in leather black coat and tight white pants carrying two Blood Swords on each side of his hips while holding a man in his arms.

With one glance she can recognized Eren even under all those weird costumes and make-up. Eren was about to be taken away by the short guy and Mikasa won’t let that happen.

“Stop right there!” she yelled to get his attention.

The man stop to turn around and look at her with his cold blue-grey eyes. His expression looked bored but she felt a hint of anger as dark aura oozed out from him. Mikasa can feel his strength and quickly recognized that this guy is not an ordinary fighter. It’s possible that he’sa Rider, one that has won many tournaments in the Dragon Campaign and she needed to keep her guard up if she wants to take Eren back.

“Let him go.” She said with low, threatening voice.

“You’re part of them?” he answered while pointing at the dead bodies with his chin.

“No.”

“Another shitbag then.” The short man concluded as he laid Eren down to the ground with his back resting against the wall.

The raven pulled out his swords and held them steadily. Mikasa grip her swords as she run to attack the raven. She jumped into the air, spinning her body to add more power to her attack as she strike to kill the man. Their swords clashing, creating a spark when they scraped each other. Mikasa push even further to make the man fall but the raven is very powerful. He barely moved an inch.

Their collided swords scraping and she backed down to gain her footing. Mikasa deliver another blow in scissoring moves, with one arm slashing upward and another one slashing downward. But all her attacks were easily blocked by the man. He can read her movements.

She push him as far as she can but the raven still hold his ground. With one push, the man threw Mikasa backwards, creating a distance between them.

He stare at his Blood Sword which didn’t glow with quizzical look. “What are you?” he suddenly asked.

“What?”

“My swords glow when it’s near human. It always crave for human’s blood but not this time. What the fuck are you?”

Mikasa pierced her gaze as she finally figured out what makes him wonder. She was a dragon so of course the sword didn’t felt the same hunger when it faced human. Her human form was a special ability only Crystal Dragon have but she can never be fully classified as human.

She chose to keep silent rather than revealing her true identity to a murderer who wanted Eren’s blood. Mikasa raise her swords then she took another step forward to attack the raven again. The sound of swords clashing echoes over and over again in the dark alley.

Mikasa was almost overwhelmed by his power. Despite the man’s weak appearance, he hold tremendous power and energy that can withstand her dragon’s strength.

One more blow and Mikasa drew back to catch her breath. It appears that she must take this man seriously and get away from him at _whatever cost_. She sheathed her swords back and stand straight.

“Giving up?” the man asked while pointing his sword to Mikasa.

She took a deep breath and exhale before crystalizing her skin inch by inch. Slowly she transformed back into a dragon, destroying the surrounding buildings because of her huge body.  Hard crystal scales hitting the walls, breaking them like delicate glass.

The man stared at her in surprised, eyes wide when witnessing the transformation of a crystal dragon before him.

Thousands of crystal scales covered her body, sharp teeth and nails emerged from her mouth and fingertips, and the ground is shaking when she step forward with her huge leg.

The man’s expression back to the boring look as he took a stance to fight her. Mikasa growling in annoyance before she jumped the man. He was ready to hold her attack but Mikasa jumped over him instead to grab Eren into her claws and flap her wings as fast as she can.

Mikasa fly into the air and dashed in lighting speed to get away from the town and away from the mysterious man. Several peoples who saw her gasped in shock to see her flying in the sky.

The raven click his tongue while he run after her out of the city. He passed by the opened gate while whistling to call his dragon. Within seconds he can hear wings flapping in the air and he look up to see his dragon, Tiamat, flying towards him.

Tiamat, The Queen of Evil Dragons which also known as Bahamut’s twin, fly steadily above Levi. Her poisonous dark scales glow in the dark of night, spreading terror to whoever saw her. Nobody wants to get close to this deity that kills its victim to suck their power dry.

She flap her wings slowly and landed on the ground, making the earth shake a little. Dark blue scales, long hard horns, huge teeth and claws complete with devil’s wings made everyone shiver in fear. Her breath is also poisonous so everyone kept a safe distance from the deity.

Levi sheathed his swords and walk to her as she lowered her body for him to climb up. The raven jump onto her back and she get up on his feet while growling in low grunts.

“A crystal dragon is nearby. Get her.” Levi said as Tiamat roared and flap her wings to fly. The raven is determined to catch her and retrieve Eren back into his arms again.

\-----

 

_One month later_.

 

Eren woke up by the sound of the rain and the cold air it brings. He got up and sat in silence on his bed, thinking about what happened a month ago. Time passed by slowly since Mikasa brought him home to their cave but the memory of that night still fresh in his mind.

He sigh while combing his hair roughly to the back, not caring that it made his bed hair even worse than before. Eren can hear Mikasa’s voice and Armin chatting in the middle room. They must’ve been up hours ago and stand by in case of an attack even though the worse have left. Eren sigh again as he folded his legs until they touched his chest and hug them.

After he passed out that night, Mikasa dragged him home and kept him away from Levi. From her point of view Levi was nothing more than a dark rider who wanted to hurt Eren. The brunet had explained so many times before that it was a misunderstanding, Levi only wanted to saved him from men who chased him but Mikasa won’t change her mind. She insisted that if Levi wanted to save him then there’s no need to kill those bastard by sucking their blood dry. She could never change her mind that the raven was a cold blooded murderer.

Mikasa managed to ran away from Tiamat because she submerge into the lake and hide there for hours. Crystal Dragon can live in water for days without oxygen so hiding for few hours didn’t really matter for her but it matter for their riders. So she molded her crystal into a cocoon and protected Eren inside so that he won’t ran out of oxygen when they hide under water. Levi searched the area for almost two hours before finally gave up and fly back into Rose City.

Mikasa swam back home as far as she can go then emerge from the lake when she was near their cave.

Eren woke up in the next morning greeted by Mikasa’s worried face. She demanded his explanation on the whole situation until she satisfied and Eren could do nothing but surrender. His sister won’t tolerate him keeping secrets after she saved his ass and it’s the least he can do to calm her down. Armin was there too when Eren explained what happened to him. The blond was more than curious because he saw Eren danced in the King’s party, which he found it very surprising.

After Eren spilled everything out, Armin informed them of a graver situation. Apparently after Mikasa shown her Dragon form in the middle of the city, the search for the Crystal Dragon became more intense. Hunters and Riders that didn’t take interest in hunting them before now flew by in the area searching for them. This was the worst situation Eren and Mikasa had ever countered.

They’re accustomed to have small group of hunters chased them but never experienced chased by big parties of hunters before. Some riders from other countries also participated in the search out of curiosity but the risk for Eren is the same. They could be friendly at first but he never knew when these riders will change their mind.

King Erwin had issue an order to stop any form of hunting the rumored crystal dragon but hunters were never good in following orders. They kept sweeping the area for the whole three weeks and it made Eren and Mikasa can’t come out of their cave.

Armin kept them save by increasing the magical barrier around the cave but as a result his strength was greatly reduced and he must take days off from working in the palace. The blond asked permission to took his leave due to an event outside of the city so that nobody visited him on his days off, preventing anyone ever finding out on the cave whereabouts.

Being the only white magician made Armin worked harder to protect his friend and it was not something he complained about. The thing he actually complained about was their daily activities that had to be postponed for weeks such as shopping, cutting and selling woods, and most importantly laundry.

They can’t do proper laundry for the past month because they had to hide from hunters who roamed around the area. Nighttime was the only time they can sneak out of the cave, though still with great cautious, and believe me washing laundry in the middle of the night and hanging them dry was really a disaster. Their clothes can’t dry properly and left a lasting mildew stink. It gets to their mood but they have no other choice than to endure it until the hunting activities has slowed down.

When the hunter’s activities had finally slowed down on the fourth week, Eren decided that he’ll redo every laundry that the three of them had because he finally fed up with the smelly shirt.

Eren got out of the bed and walk to the living room. The first thing he saw was Mikasa polishing her sword. She looked away to Eren. “You’re up.”

“Yeah.” Eren said lazily. He walked closer and sat on the chair next to Armin. The blond had just finished withdrawing another spell that he casted few weeks ago to double the shield. His face turned livelier than the past few weeks. It seems that his strength has finally returned and Eren felt relieved that Armin no longer needed to cast triple spells to protect them.

“You okay Armin?”

“Yeah…I’ve withdraw the final magic. All that’s left is the normal magic I used to protect this cave.”

“Sorry…for being useless.”

Armin chuckled a little before replying. “What do you mean useless? Your family has protected me and my grandfather when we had nowhere else to go. It’s only fair that I protect my family. I always wanted to be useful for you and Mikasa.”

“Eren, you’ve done your best.” Mikasa tried to comfort her brother. “At least this will be the last time we got into a trouble. This was entirely that midget fault.”

“Mikasa…he was just trying to protect me. I told you about what really happened so many times before.”

“But he was trying to take you away.”

“He was trying to get me into a safe place.”

“How do you know that? For all we know he could’ve kidnaped you and killed you.”

“He won’t, I don’t believe that. He’s not a bad man.”

“That’s because he is Humanity’s Strongest Rider and you like him.”

Eren’s cheek got a little red to hear the word ‘ _like_ ’. He felt it too. At first it was pure admiration to the strongest soldier ever existed in this world, but then that feeling started to change because of one simple kiss. He didn’t even know what that kiss really meant.

Levi might kiss him just for the fun of it or maybe because he was mistaken as dancer that provide extra service for the royal family. It could mean anything but Eren’s can’t help who he has fallen for.

“I don’t like him.” he tried to deny his feeling. It’s important for him to stay away from Levi.

His sister stared at his expression intently before opening her mouth to retort. “Your ears are red… You’re lying.”

Eren quickly covered his ear and look away from Mikasa intent gaze. “I’m not.”

“Your ears get red when you lied. Just admit that you like him more than we are.”

“I’m not! He’s not supposed to recognize me. We’re not supposed to meet again. This was all just a coincident!”

“Again? Did you met him somewhere before the party?”

Eren’s grew eyes wide for a second but then he tried to hide it. “J-just at the tournament.”

“You’re lying again.”

Eren stand up from his seat and walk away to the laundry basket. He snatched it up then walked out of the cave.

“Eren! Where are you going?” Mikasa called from inside.

“Washing our stinking clothes!” Eren hurriedly replied and run as fast as he can to avoid her. Sometimes he can’t get away from Mikasa’s deep interrogation and most of the time he ended up spilling something that he should kept secret. His sister knew well how to drive him into a corner.

Eren run as fast as he can towards the flowing river. On the fourth week, they started to see less hunters and riders roaming around. He really hoped that they had finally fed up chasing him and just return to their own countries.

He was getting sick of running away. Fifteen years of running away sure had taken all the freedom he had and he wanted it back. He believed that every human must be free and he will fight for that freedom even if it means losing his life.

What happened these past few weeks had taught him a lesson that running away solved nothing. He will fight for his freedom starting today. But of course all of that must be put on hold until his laundry is finished. Damn hunters and their annoying meddling.

Eren arrived at the river which located few meters away from his cave. He always washed their clothes here but during the commotion last time he couldn’t do it because it’s too risky. It’s an open area with tall trees around with cool shades here and there, making it a nice place to relax.

He dropped the laundry basket and started to wash all clothes one by one. Eren was taught to be thorough in washing clothes so that all stains can be removed properly. He always thanked his mother deep in his heart because the skills turned out to be useful after all. Carla taught him how to live independently in the wild when they’re camping by the river so that the prince gained basic knowledge on how to deal with nature.

Eren washed them carefully and when he reached the bottom of the basket he found the transparent veil he wore the night he met Levi. He stared at it for few minutes, relishing the memory of his moments together with Levi in the dark room. The fabric still left faint scent of the raven.

The boy reminiscence the way Levi’s lips touched his own. The soft thin lips felt so hot, they burn his full lips gently, licking at the bottom ever so lightly as if he’s a fragile thing. His heart beat faster when he brought the fabric to his nose and sniff it. He can smell his own perfume and Levi’s unique scent.

Beads of tears started to appear on the corner of his eyes as he realized that he’ll never see the raven again. He didn’t understand where all the sadness came from but his heart clenched in pain from the thought that Levi will never be his.

He sighed in disappointment as he brought the fabric down to be washed. Though they’ll never meet again, he still wanted to keep their memories together for as long as he can. Well, at least until he die.

Suddenly the wind blow hard and the fabric slip away from his hand. It flew far to the middle of the river, and once it touched the water the current washed it away from him.

“Ah….” Once again his heart clenched in pain as he watched it drowned further. Maybe he was not meant to remember Levi too so the gods decided to take it away from him. He just sat there in silent, trying to accept his destiny.

The veil washed away until it reached the other part of the city.

 

On the other hand, Levi was making a stop at the riverbanks to recover his strength. He and Hanji had been searching this area for two days now to find any signs of crystal dragon but to no avail. Levi was kneeling on top of the rocks to scooped water in his hand and drank it. The cold water he gulped down felt so good and he sigh in relieve

He was about to stand and continued his search again but something caught his attention. From afar he can see something washed by the current. Something colored in gold, shining beautifully under the sun's scorching heat. The current brought the familiar item closer to him and once it was within arm’s reach, he catch it and pulled it out of the water.

Levi stare at the silky golden fabric and thinking to himself, was it really the veil that Eren wore that night. For all he knew that could be anyone’s clothes, washed by the river. There’s little chance that it belonged to Eren because he had searched this area for a whole month now.

He flipped the fabric over and over again until he found that one particular spot that he believe only existed in Eren’s veil. Levi stood on his feet and run to Hanji’s direction.

“Four eyes!”

“Yes Levi? Can we finally go back home now to the dark Realm?”

“No fucking chance. Eren is around here. Work on your new magic to find where he is with this veil.” He threw the wet fabric to Hanji and the Necromancer caught it.

She examined the veil while fixing her glasses. “How do you know it belongs to him?”

“Look at the blood on the bottom part of it. That was the bastard’s blood that splattered when I killed him.”

“You sure?”

“One hundred percent. Now get to work.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll return to castle and see what I can found. If only Armin is back.”

“Forget the brat. I’ve no time to waste anymore.”

“Sure. I’ll head out first then.” Hanji said while vanishing into the air at the same time.

Levi knitted his brows while petting Tiamat’s neck. His other hand clenched in a fist so tight that it hurts. This time he’ll find Eren for sure.

\-----


	6. The Oracle and Prophecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prophecy about Eren Jaeger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> I'm so sorry for the late update.  
> My workload has been increased and i can't get away even on the weekend.
> 
> Thank you and thank you so much for all comments and kudos XD  
> You guys are the ones who keeps me motivated every single day :'D  
> Enjoy reading!

In the back of his mind, Levi knew what to do but his body stopped moving on its own. He came to the Crystal Realm too late. King Jaeger has been killed, his throat slit and his dragon crystalized.

He wanted to help, or at least beat the killer into a pulp and feed him to Tiamat but the only thing appear in his mind was Queen Jaeger and the prince. He forced his legs to move away from the King’s chamber, leaving Grisha’s cold body with his attackers who screamed in joy, harvesting the precious crystal.

Levi ran to the Queen’s chamber but found no one there. He turned around and ran again to the prince’s room, stopping halfway when he saw Carla running away from some riders. Levi quickly chased after the queen, hoping that he can at least safe her.

He slashed his swords to soldiers and riders that blocked his way then accelerate his speed to catch up but then he heard Carla screaming in pain. His heart is beating faster, imagining the worst has come to the queen too.

“MOVE!!” his anger can no longer be contained as he brutally killed each and every one who tried to slow him down, spreading poison while his sword sucking blood from every man he killed.

Then he saw it, the moment when a dragon bit Carla’s neck to steal the life out of her. Levi froze in place. He wanted to move his legs and kill the dragon but the shock came first and only seconds later he managed to move his body.

He delivered a hard blow to kill the dragon and decapitate it’s rider at the same time. The dragon roared in pain as Carla’s body fall limp on the cold floor. Blood was pooling around her as her life slipping away.

Levi sheathed his swords and walk closer to Carla. He pulled her body to his lap while looking at that beautiful face which slowly turned pale. She’s still alive but blood was gushing out of control as he felt her pulse weakened by the second.

“Levi…” Carla forced herself to talk.

“My Lady…”

“You shouldn’t be here…”

Levi got silent. All of his words died on his throat. Consolation was not his forte, not even in situation like this, so he chose to remain silent.

“You’re such a gentle person… I’m happy my boy is engaged with you…”

“Queen…where’s Prince Jaeger?”

Carla lifted her hand and touch Levi’s cheek while smiling gently. “My baby…take care of him…please…”

“My Lady, where is he?”

“He’s safe…he’ll be safe…with you…” her cold hand fell to the floor as she exhaled her last breath.

Levi bit his lip, trying to suppress overflowing emotion because he knew it wasn’t the time for that. He needed to find the prince and save him from this bloody war.

He put Carla’s cold body on the floor gently and he stood, drawing his swords and called for Tiamat. The dragon came from the balcony seconds later and stepped inside.

“Kill each and every one of Thunder Rider you see. Spare no one.” Tiamat roared and flew back outside, smashing the glasses and bricks that hinder her way. Levi could hear her roar followed by constant screams of dying men. They sounded like music to Levi’s ear.

He got out of the room and start to search for the prince. It was difficult to find a boy he never met before but he was sure that he’ll recognize him somehow.

Then he heard it, a boy’s scream, a painful one followed by a dying roar of a dragon. He dashed to where the voice came from and once again found a crystalized dragon soaked in blood.

His heart stammered furiously against his chest. Shocked, confuse, angry, regret, he didn’t know what to feel. All of those emotions flooded in at the same time as his eyes turned red from anger.

In front of his eyes he saw a frozen dragon with its scales soaked in blood, hardening into beautiful crystals. Blood rush to his head as he lost his composure.

An innocent boy’s life has been taken away, a life which was thousand times better than these scumbags disappear from this world because he was too late to rescue him. He could’ve saved the prince but he was unable to arrive on time and now Crystal Realm’s royal family has been annihilated.

They are the only family who think that he and his people are not a cold-blooded-murderer like everyone suspected. The Jaeger opened up a chance for his people to live normally and no longer be seen as a violent creature, but now that chance has slipped away, and all because he was fucking late.

His body suddenly overflowed with power he never felt before. Wrath, anger, self-hatred, and negative emotions started to take over his heart and Levi can hear Blood Swords laughing in joy because their master’s merciless soul awakened.

“ _Yes...yes…Wake up, My Lord. It’s time to eat._ ” They whispered happily into Levi’s soul as his consciousness slipping away. All logic casted aside and the urge to eat human souls were getting stronger. Mercy was not needed in this cruel world after all.

Levi walked away from the crystalized dragon and saw a rider plunge an attack to him. He caught his neck with one hand and felt the delicate bones snap in his hands. The head fall weak to the side and Levi sucked the soul then tossed the body away.

He can hear them laughing, harder this time. Blood Swords’ laughter sounded so beautiful as he impaled another rider. He ate the soul and let his sword drank the blood. His awakened demon power took over him as he ate like a famish monster.

 

 

Levi woke up with strong nauseating feeling in his stomach. The sweat all over his body made it even worse but he refused to puke his gut out on the bed. He jumped out of his bed to the toilet and threw up, emptying his stomach.

The taste of thousands souls still lingers in his tongue even after all this year. Their screams, sufferings, pains, agonies, all of them that he swallowed years ago reappeared, making him queasy and sick to his stomach.

He threw up again and again until there’s nothing left. He cough twice and he grab a clean towel to wipe his stinky mouth.

After the war, he tried so hard to forget it but there are nights like these that haunted his sleep and made him remember his sin. His temple started to pound and he coughed again.

“Shit…” he rubbed his mouth harder with the towel and put it back. He’ll ask someone to wash it later.

Levi walked out of the toilet and saw Hanji sitting on his bed. He frowned, a little pissed off but dissed it quickly. This necromancer really needed to learn how to knock.

“What now?” Levi asked shortly.

“Found nothing. My new magic didn’t work. I’m not a white mage so it’s actually hard for me to use supporting magic. All I know is how to summon the dead or cast black magic so I’m pretty much useless here.” Hanji answered.

Levi sighs in frustration. “I know. Wasn’t expecting much of you. Get ready, we’re going out.”

“Where to?”

“Petra’s place.” Levi dressed light this time, not in the mood for some formalities. He stepped out of the room once he changed while carrying Blood Swords.

“The Oracle? Think she can give us a clue?” Hanji said while following him out of the room.

“Yeah she can. She was the one who told Erwin about the Crystal Race survivor in the first place after all.”

“That boy is really something huh? To make you do this far just to find him.”

Levi got silent for a few second before answering her. “I didn’t do this for him. I’m just trying to find the crystal dragon.”

“ _Really_? Since you’re only after the dragon, why don’t I throw this veil away then? I'm sure Petra won't have much trouble finding it without this.”

“She’ll need it to find Eren.”

“She won’t.”

"This time is different. She'll need it."

"Oh Levi. You and your ego. Can't you just be honest and say that you wanted to meet him again?"

"Because I didn't."

"You’re not very convincing."

"Hanji, if you don't stop your fucking mouth from moving I'll rip it off your face."

Hanji laughed hard. She was never one to cower and Levi's sarcasm just won't work on her. “You stubborn shit. I'm gonna have you admit it one of these days." She said whilst still laughing.

"Have fun trying."

“Yeah yeah.” Hanji nodded and walked out of the castle.

When they’ve arrived at the garden, Levi saw Tiamat waiting. She stood when saw him closing in while flapping her huge devil wings to make the air surrounds them blew in all directions. Levi looked up and extended his hand to the black dragon. Tiamat bowed down and touched her nose to his hand.

"We're going to Lunatic Pandora."

Tiamat purred in understanding. She crouched down and Levi grabbed one of her scale to jump behind the dragon's back. He positioned himself until he felt comfortable on the seat.

Hanji threw her staff and it changed into a flying broom which floating in the air. She hoped on top of it and waving her hand to Levi.

“I’ll be going first. Be sure to knock the door before entering.”

“Shut up. Get the fuck out of here.” Hanji laughed again as her broom carried her away in lighting speed, leaving Levi behind.

He clicked his tongue and patted Tiamat’s neck twice. “Let go.” The dragon flapped her wings and fly toward The Lunatic Pandora where Petra lived.

Tiamat was fast but Hanji’s broom was the fastest flying device in this world so Levi didn’t bother to chase her. He also didn’t want to accelerate the speed because he hated Lunatic Pandora. It was a realm where oracle and prophet lived so there are many eccentric people there. Levi hated eccentric people because one crazy necromancer was already a lot to deal with.

He arrived at The Lunatic Pandora just minutes later. Lunatic Pandora shaped in rectangular pillar with 3 miles tall and 1.5 miles wide. It floated in the air and surrounded by magical barrier which can transported unwanted visitor to another place if they break through. The whole pillar colored in black.

Tiamat landed on the terrace in front of a huge door. Levi jumped down and walk to the front of the gate and bang it twice with his fist. A magical barrier reacted and slowly it lifted up to let him pass. Levi turn around and hopped on the dragon’s back again. They flew inside the city and quickly headed to Petra’s house.

Petra is a powerful dream seer and oracle. Erwin has asked for her advices so many times before. She was also the one who foresee Eren’s presence in the Capital City of Rose and Wind Castle so surely she knew where Eren’s whereabout now.

Her house was made of Crystals, a gift from Carla to protect her from enemies. Oracle’s ability was one of the most wanted gift everyone wish to have because you can see the future and past then use it for your own profit.

Tiamat landed on her front yard which filled with weird looking plants and crystal trees. He hated to see that. It reminded him on how the Crystal Palace looked like before it was destroyed.

Levi climbed down from the dragon’s back and enter Petra’s house. The door opened without him knocking so he let himself in.

The floor and walls were made of crystal too. It shines in blue and green colors, the color of the ocean. He walked a few more steps and found more crystals inside. Levi wondered how bored Petra’s life was, surrounding by crystal and more crystal.

“Admiring the crystal?” Levi heard a woman voice spoke to him. It was Petra at the end of the room, sitting with Hanji standing in front of her.

“Just thinking how exciting your life is, Petra.” He replied and Petra, the Oracle, just smile.

“We oracle do not sleep, eat, or drink. So yes, my life is pretty exciting with these crystals protecting me.”

“Right. Oracles are just vessel for Destiny.”

Petra shrugged. “True. So what business brings you to my humble home?”

“You don’t call this shit home. This is just an empty fortress build from crystals.”

“Crystals given from the people who cared about you and your race.”

“They’re gone.”

“Not quite.” Levi looked to her eyes and saw a strange glint in them. Petra looked amuse and he didn’t like that.

“So you knew why I’m here.”

“I knew and the only thing I can tell you is yes, Eren is one of the Crystal Dragon’s race.”

Levi’s eyes shined a little as he pierce his gaze to the Oracle. “So it’s true. Where is the dragon now? The one that took him away.”

“She’s hiding with him. A powerful magician protects them with a unique barrier. Something I’ve never seen before.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know exactly where but it’s near the Rose City border.”

“Fuck.”

“Levi…you might want to hurry up and go now. Eren is in danger. People want his blood and somebody is planning something bad to him. I see Eren in my dreams, locked up in a dark room, bleeding… His blood…they want the blood’s power.”

“Of course they want the blood’s power? Especially if it’s combined with Crystal scale.”

“No…they want more than that. The Jaeger’s family have this…special blood. I don’t think Eren realized it yet but his blood can repel any magic casted upon them.”

“What? What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Do you remember when the barrier in your room breached easily by him? It was his blood’s doing, a unique power only Jaeger’s family possess.”

“Are you saying that…Eren is the Jaeger’s son?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t fuck around with me! I saw him died!”

“You saw the body of a crystalized dragon in the Prince’s room. It was a camouflage, to protect Eren from all the killings.”

Levi went silent for a while, trying to process whatever came out of Petra’s mouth. His heart was pounding when he found out that Eren is one of the Jaeger’s family.

“Eren is the Prince?”

“…Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I just saw it yesterday in my dream. Vivid images of a sad destiny which befall Eren in the past. I didn’t choose what to dream, I can only accept whatever Destiny want me to see.”

“Fuck you.” Levi turned around and hastily left the house. He rode Tiamat and quickly flew toward the exit.

Hanji was about to leave as well before Petra called. “Hanji.”

The necromancer looked over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

“I also saw something else but the images were hard for me to see clearly.”

“What did you see?”

“I saw a life, Hanji.”

“A life?” Petra nod to answer Hanji’s question.

“Yes, I saw a life, shinning so bright, bringing happiness to Levi.”

“Whose life?”

“I don’t know. But…I saw death too…”

“Whose death?”

“Thousands of death and massive destructions. I can’t see clearly who and where, but please proceed with caution from now on. Their meeting has set the destiny’s wheel moving.”

“I’ll protect them.”

“Please do…I’ll pray that the cruel images I saw won’t come true.”

“So do I. Thanks Petra.”

“Don’t mention it and oh, please tell me when Levi has admitted that he like the boy. I’ll be sure to come down from Pandora to visit you.”

Hanji laugh while waving her hand and leave the room.

\-----

 

The painting was almost done. Eren sat on the grass near the river while watching the water sparkles. Sometimes there’s a fish jumping out of the water then plunge in again, creating ripples in the surface.

He wiped the remaining dust away from the paper and look at it to appreciate his work. It was easy to remember what Levi looked like, blue-grey eyes, thin lips, pale skin, and sharp jaw. That handsome face still locked up in Eren’s memory and he won’t ever forget it. The difficult part to draw was his armor. Every time he drew the golden lines on Dark Eternal Breastplate, he felt a surge of nostalgic feeling flooding his heart. It was a strange feeling and he couldn’t understand why.

He felt nothing when he saw it for the first time at the tournament. But then when he started to draw it, he felt familiar with the pattern engraved on the armor. It looked so much like the one engraved on his father’s armor but that couldn’t be the same pattern because It only existed in an armor which has been enhanced by Jaeger’s family blood.

Eren’s fingers stopped halfway when he tried to draw the armor. He stared at it for a couple of minutes then put the drawing board away. He folded his leg and rested his arms on top of the knee. His mind wandered to the past again when his mother was still alive.

Carla told him so many times about his fiancé that he’s going to marry but never the name. She said it was a surprise. He’ll found out when the time comes. How wonderful would that be if his fiancé was Levi.

He chuckled to himself and sigh while combing his hair roughly to the back. A dream will stay a dream. He could never meet Levi again and he didn’t plan to.

Eren pick up his drawing board and got up. He dusted his pants then walk away from the riverbed but he stop when he looked at a man trying to pull a boat to the side.

It seemed like the man was having a difficult time pulling it out of the water so Eren decided to help. He walked closer then put his drawing board somewhere dry and away from water.

“Hey, can I help you?” Eren asked.

The man turned his head to the brunet then smiled. He was tall, probably around 6 foots with slouch shoulder and short black hair. “Yes, yes please. I can’t pull this boat over to the side. It’s heavier than I thought.”

Eren nodded and ran a little to the man. “I’ll grab this side and pull. You go grab that side and push.” The brunet instructed while taking position to pull one side of the boat.

The man took a step back to let Eren take over his position. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t help…but I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

Eren’s mouth and nose were suddenly covered by a rag. He could smell chloroform as he struggle to get away. The man was unexpectedly strong. Eren kicked, clawed, buckling his body but none of them worked as his consciousness is slipping away.

He wanted to yell or hit the man but the comfortable feeling of being lulled to sleep was more tempting. His hands fall limp as he closed eyes.

Eren could hear the man whisper softly about an apology just before he let the darkness took over his mind.

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to attach these on the previous chapters.  
> These images are from Final Fantasy VIII and none of them are mine. I was just inspired by the lovely game :)  
> \- Lunatic Pandora: http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20071103152553/finalfantasy/images/d/de/LunaticPandora1.jpg
> 
> \- Pandora's interior: http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100815131841/finalfantasy/vi/images/8/88/LunaticPandora2.jpg
> 
> \- Tiamat: http://www.rpgfan.com/pics/ff8/product-050.jpg


	7. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attempt to break free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> I am so sorry for the late update (again) DX  
> End of years has always been the busiest time and my job kept me away from writing.  
> But thank you very much for all the kudos and comments!   
> You guys kept me alive with them so thanks a lot! You're seriously awesome!
> 
> Hopefully you'll like this chapter as well :D  
> Happy reading!

When blood dripped steadily from his arm, Eren couldn’t feel it. Deep in his slumber he only dreamt of his family’s warmth, protecting him from the cold of the night. But however tight his mother’s embrace was and how many layers of blanket his father gave him, the cold still slipped through his clothes and stabbed his bones.

“Mom…I’m cold…” Eren said to Carla, hugging his mother closer. He looked at Carla but couldn’t see her face. He looked away and watched his father knelt down to hug Carla and himself. He immediately feel safe but not warm, it never was.

“Dad…” Eren said again with his little voice. He was shaking from the cold.

“I’m sorry, Son. I’m so sorry…” Grisha answered with great sadness in his voice, almost cried.

“Dad? Why are you saying sorry?” Eren asked while curling into a ball in Carla’s lap.

“Because we have to leave you, Son.”

The words stabbed Eren’s heart. Why did his parents want to leave? Where would they go without him? He looked at his father again though he couldn’t make out a face. “I don’t understand, Daddy. Why do you have to leave me?”

“Eren…we love you son… We do.”

“Then don’t leave me, Daddy.” Eren started to sob. His heart squeezed and his tears were on the verge of falling. His little hands gripped Carla’s dress tighter.

“We want to stay, son. Believe me, we would do anything to stay…”

“Then stay…don’t leave…” Eren was sobbing and crying by now, wetting Carla’s dress with his tears and snot. Carla wiped them with her thumb gently.

“Honey, someone will protect you after we’re gone.” She said. Her gentle voice didn’t soothe Eren’s heart.

“No…I don’t want anyone else… I want you Mommy, why can’t you stay?”

“My baby…we’re not really leaving you. You can always find us in your heart if you desire so.” Carla smiled but Eren couldn’t make out a face too from his mother. He was sobbing harder when Carla put him down.

“No! Mommy! Daddy!” he screamed, calling for his parents over and over again but both of them walked away. They walked further and further leaving Eren behind. He ran with his little feet to chase them but it’s no use. He tripped on his feet and their distance kept increasing until they could no longer be seen.

Eren cried again, sobbing alone in the dark while calling for his father and mother. He knew it was useless to call them because they still walked away from him, from his live.

“Oi brat.” a voice suddenly said to him from behind. He turned around to find a man with pale skin, sharp jaws, black hair parted in the middle, and a pair of blue-grey eyes staring at him with his bored expression. Somehow he felt familiar with the man.

“Get up.” The man said again.

“Who are you?”

“I said get up.”

Eren stared at him, looking at those blue-grey stormy eyes. He has seen the man before and he knew him. His name was…

“Levi.”

\----

 

Reiner heard him mumbled the name again. Levi, that was the name Eren kept saying in his sleep over and over again. The boy was still unconscious after six hours of sleeping and he probably having a dream right now. His face looked calm though so it’s definitely not a nightmare.

It’s not normal for someone to be unconscious for so long. Maybe the dose was too high. But they’re lucky that Eren didn’t die because of it, they needed him alive after all.

Reiner stepped away from the bed to the fireplace. He picked up a small wood then threw it carelessly into the fire, watched dry stem burned into a crisp within mere seconds.

“He called him again.” said a man sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace. He was staring at the fire but his mind was elsewhere.

“Yeah he is.” Reiner replied while loosen his gloves. He took them off and put them on top of the fireplace.

“I felt sorry for the kid.”

“Bertolt, your job was to take care of his body. I don’t believe that include worrying about his mental condition.”

Bertolt shifted from his seat. “But he’s so young and…”

“And he’s the last child of the Crystal Race. Not to mention he’s the prince. He is what we’ve been searching for all this time.”

“I believe it was you and Kit who wanted him badly.”

“Yeah it was us, not you. I kept forgetting that you didn’t want any part of this. Tell me again, why did you help me?”

“I want us out.”

“Ah yes, out from here and let all of this go. Do you realize what kind of power we miss if we let this chance slip away?”

“You’re already powerful enough.”

“Stop with the speech, Bert.”

“Reiner…”

“He has more power than I do! And you’re telling me that I’m powerful? What kind of joke is that? Huh?!”

“He was born different from us! He’s the humanity’s strongest rider, born with dark power that doesn’t belong in this world. It was what destiny decided.”

“Fuck destiny! I’ll decide what I’m gonna become. And if to get that I have to use the prince’s power so be it!”

“This is ridiculous. Look at you. Did you hear the way you talk? You sound like a maniac obsessed with power. Are you really going to kill him for his blood?”

Reiner chuckled. “Who said anything about killing? Kit has thought of a better idea. We should’ve done this a long time ago before annihilating the royal family.”

“What? You’re not gonna kill him? So what are you – “

Their arguments were stopped when they heard Eren groan. The boy fidgeted a little in his bed before his eyes slowly opened. He blinked twice, tried to chase away the sleepiness in his system but then closed them again. He knitted his eyebrow, tried to focus his mind then opened his eyes again.

His half lidded turquoise eyes stared at the unknown ceiling, dark and damp, it was nothing like his cave. His room was much cleaner than this one. He got up with great difficulty and tried to sit while leaning against the headboards. Eren scanned the room, started from the left side then slowly turned to the right and look at both men who stood near the fireplace.

Bertolt looked nervous when he saw that big green – no – turquoise eyes staring at them wearily while Reiner trembling in anticipation. He has hunted Eren for so long and now the time has come to take what he was supposed to get years ago.

"Where..." Eren said with raspy voice.

"Where are we?" Reiner finished his sentence for him. "You're at my humble shack."

Eren pierced his gaze while trying to process what Reiner had just said. He was still confused but he remembered the blond guy in front of him.

"Reiner..."

"You remember me? Well that makes everything easier. My reputation proved to be of some use after all."

Eren looked down to his lap as he tried to remember what happened before.

"Bertolt did a good job to bring you here, though I must say that we thought you were dead because of the drug."

"You drugged me..."

"In high dose, which unfortunately made you out for two whole days. Want some water?"

"Fuck you..."

"Thought so. Y'know, we're gonna have to learn to get along better."

"No…."

Reiner laughed and stepped closer to Eren. The blond stopped beside his bed. "We're gonna be in a closer relationship starting today so you're gonna learn to like me, like it or not."

"Why the hell should I like you? You're gonna kill me anyway... "

"Because you are not to be killed. You were far too precious to be killed."

Reiner walked again, circling his bed then sat on the soft mattress. “How would you like the idea of us to reconcile? Forget the past and start anew.”

In his hazy mind, Reiner’s words sounded so ridiculous. What in the world was this guy thinking? Eren would never forgive him and his race for what they did to his parents. He looked up and pierced his eyes to Reiner. Anger was written all over his face. His blood boil from the bad joke and he wanted to deliver a hard punch to the man’s face. In fact he will throw the punch now.

He gathered whatever left from his strength and plunge forward as fast as he can with fist ready to land on that face. But suddenly someone yanked him back into the bed and his head bumped into the headboard. It took him a few seconds to chase away the dizziness and regain his focus.

Eren looked to his wrist - where the pain came from – and realized it was not someone who pulled him back, it was something. His arm was chained – both of them – and so his ankles.

"We're not stupid enough to catch you without tying you up. You are famous for your short temper."

"Let me go!" Eren shouted while pulling his arms until the chains were stretch. Loud clanking heard repeatedly when he yanked his arms over and over again, struggling to get away.

"Stop it. It's useless. These are chains not ropes."

"Fuck you!"

Eren continued to kicked, yanked his arms, and struggled until he was tired. His breath coming in short with sweat started to drip from his temple.

"Giving up? You should rest a little."

"Fuck...you..."

Reiner chuckled to hear that words come out of Eren's mouth. He was very lively with all the drugs in his system.

He cupped Eren's chin to look at his eyes and smile. The boy felt sick from the touch.

"You're beautiful. No wonder Levi likes you. I won't mind fucking you either."

Eren spat onto Reiner's cheek. He hated how Levi's name came out of that mouth.

Reiner wiped his cheek with the back of his palm, frowning but managed to suppress his anger.

"I'll tolerate you this time. You're gonna bear my child after all."

Bertolt jumped from his chair, shocked from the words that Reiner just said.

"Reiner?! What are you saying?"

"We're gonna need more of that blood and his child will provide boundless loyalty to me."

"Your half wing is me!"

"And I love you, Bert. But a child from him and me will be indispensible power for us. With the loyalty that the child can give us, we will never have to hunt for Jaeger’s family blood again. The child will be Thunder Race’s most powerful asset."

"You're kidding right?"

"I'm serious. Well....originally Kit was supposed to be the one who planted the seed but he didn't like men."

"A child....?" Eren said with his weak voice.

Reiner got up from the bed and walked towards the nightstand. He lit up some sort of aromatherapy diffuser and a-sweet-scented-perfume filled out in the room. The smell sickened Eren as they slowly made him dizzy and sleepy.

"Yeah Eren, mine and yours."

"No... Fuck you...."

"You're gonna need some times to think it through. Right now you should get some sleep."

"What did you do to me....?"

"Giving you something to help you relax."

Reiner turned his body around and stepped away from Eren. He grabbed Bertolt’s arm and yanked him to stand up. “Come on.”

Eren saw both of them left the room together. The scent was getting stronger and stronger and he couldn’t keep his eyes open again. Once again he was pulled into the darkness but this time he just wanted to forget about everything and tugged himself into the comfortable corner, away from the reality.

\-----

 

_Day 2_

Eren opened his eyes only to find that he was still chained down on his bed. The damp bed felt disgusting with the strong mildew scent wafting in the air. He was still grateful that the sweet sickening scent has gone but now he has a new problem. He wanted to puke.

He gritted his teeth to hold the nauseating feeling to come up to his throat. What was that scent anyway? Was it drug? He couldn’t move his body out of will and he felt so weak.

What time is it? How many days has he been here? Where was he exactly? There were so many questions he wanted to ask yet at the same time he hated to ask anyone here about them.

He heard the sound of keys clanking just seconds before the door open and revealed Reiner behind it. He brought a tray of food and a glass of water for him. It looked like they really didn’t plan to make him starve but carrying Reiner’s child was worse than to starve to death.

What’s with the child business anyway? No male can carry a child. Surely everyone knew that.

“Thought you’re hungry. Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned.” Reiner said while putting the tray on the nightstand.

Eren looked away from the blond. “Because you need me alive, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well guess what? I don’t even wanna smell the disgusting food. I’d rather starve to death.”

“Stubborn prince. We’re gonna be a family soon, you should learn to like me.”

“In your dream. What’s with you? I’m a boy in case you haven’t notice. I can’t get pregnant.”

Reiner stood silent for a few seconds before let out a tired sigh. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know that a man can get pregnant too?”

“You seriously have a bad joke. Of course no men can get pregnant…aren’t they?”

The blond chuckled a little. “They can. Your parents never told you? Oh wait that’s a silly question.”

Eren clenched his fist as he sit up. “Shut up.”

“My apology, Young Lord. I shouldn’t have teased you like that.”

The brunet looked down to the blanket on top of his lap and crumpled them with his hand.

“We don’t plan just to take your blood and the crystal. Your child will have the same power as you. He can repel any kinds of magic and that very same child will serve me and the whole Thunder Race. That would be the most ideal picture of our kingdom. And sooner or later we’ll find a way to have that power transferred to Thunder Race.”

Eren knitted his eyebrow. He looked damn confuse. Did Reiner become a delusional after lusting for power for so long?

“Power to repel magic? What are you talking about? Everyone knew that my blood only good for making the crystal perfect. It can’t repel magic.”

Now Reiner was the one who looked confuse. He watched deep into Eren’s eyes to search any signs of lie but couldn’t find any.

“Wait, did your parents also never told you about the Jaeger’s family blood power? Not for the crystal but the power to repel magic.”

“You are either delusional or has been cheated by someone, Reiner. My blood didn’t hold any other power than to make the Crystal hardened into its perfect ability.”

Reiner sighed. “I should’ve known. King Grisha was never one to reveal secrets easily.”

“Don’t you dare mention my father’s name!”

The blond sat on the bed while staring at Eren’s angry eyes. “Jaeger direct family bloodline carries the ability to repel any kinds of magic. No magic can harm them but they also can’t be healed with magic.”

Eren bended his body forward, pulling the chain and made them clanked noisily in the silent room. “Liar!”

Reiner shook his head to himself and looked at Eren again. “Want proof?”

He didn’t wait for an answer and quickly cast a healing magic to Eren’s wound around his wrist. The magic didn’t touch his skin at all, as if there’s another invisible armor prevented it from getting anywhere near.

Eren watched it with eyes wide and slightly opened mouth. He couldn’t believe what he just saw. The boy remembered the same thing happened with the barrier Levi’s casted. He passed through them easily as if it was nothing. Back then he thought the barrier was imperfect.

If it was really his blood’s doing then a child born from him would face the same horrible fate as he did now. The child would be chased, hunted, or even worse, he would be enslaved by Reiner without knowing that he was just being used.

“Now you believe me?” Reiner’s question broke him out of his reverie. A frightening revelation in front of his eyes made him trembled in fear and anger.

“Fuck you! Fuck you! I’m not going to let you do this! I’ll kill myself before you can do that!”

He yanked the chain again over and over again with little strength he has left. Eren refused to let these bastards do whatever they want with him.

“My god. My men were right. You’re seriously have bad temper.” Reiner grabbed his face with one hand but Eren quickly pull away. The blond caught him again and this time he made sure to grip it hard so that Eren won’t look away.

“I knew you were going to say _no_ , but are you sure that’s what Mikasa want?”

“Mikasa? What did you do to her?!”

“Nothing. For now. But if you reject me, you’ll hear a dragon’s cry from the basement.”

“Let her go! It’s my blood that you want! Her scales no longer interested you anymore. Let her go!”

“Unfortunately, her scales are something that we still wanted. Of course with the birth of our child there will be another dragon to harvest. It’ll lessen her burden don’t you think?”

“Bastard!! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill everyone last you!”

“Not exactly the word I want Eren. Do you want to hear her cry? It was easy to bring her here. All we did was mentioned your name and she followed along obediently.”

Eren bit his lower lip until it bleeds. He couldn’t suppress his anger anymore but Mikasa’s life was on the line. He bit it harder while shutting his eyes closed. He felt the tears coming.

Eren concentrated on the pain and it helped him calmed down. After several minutes of silent Reiner let his hand go and the brunet’s head fell limp.

“That’s better.” The blond said. He stood from the bed and leave Eren with his thoughts alone in the room.

Eren tried to hold his tears from falling but it was to no avail as they rolled down freely on his cheeks. He silently prayed that they will be able to miraculously escape from here or died a quick death so that no one will be able to continue this living hell.

\-----

 

_Day 3_

He woke up that morning, slightly dizzy from the smell of mildew and wasted food. He refused to do anything Reiner said. Eren knew he must store energy to save Mikasa but he didn’t find the slightest appetite to shove the food into his mouth.

In his silent he suddenly remembered something that his mother told him a long time ago. About a forbidden chant to crystalized his own blood into the same substance as crystal dragon’s scale. Harder than diamond, sharper than any blade, and maybe could repel magic too. Maybe if he bit his hand hard enough, he could draw blood for this chant. He had to try, for Mikasa.

The sound of keys clanking broke him out of his mind. He quickly turned, facing away from the door and pretend to sleep. Eren had enough of conversations.

He heard the door creaked as it pushed open. Light footsteps soon followed as someone enter his room. Eren guess it wasn’t Reiner because his footsteps would be heavier. May be it was another guard who were sent to deliver food or to check his condition. Whatever. He was not interested in making small conversations anymore.

“You didn’t eat your food last night.” The visitor said to him and Eren didn’t answer.  

“I know you’re awake.” He said again and Eren didn’t answer him again. In his heart he silently prayed that the man would just leave him alone.

He heard a soft clunk beside his bed. The man put down another tray of food while picking up the wasted food and carried it with him.

“The guards here are clumsy. They never lock down your door properly. Moreover they love to get drunk and slept through the entire day. That’s why you can escape and head to the basement to rescue your dragon.”

Eren knitted his eyebrows to hear those words. It was hard to believe yet it really happened. Someone wanted him to break free!

“If you’re sleeping then you’ll lose your only chance. But if you’re awake…” his words were abruptly stopped as Eren heard his footsteps walked further from his bed. The man was about to leave the room.

“Reiner is mine.” he said again before he walked away.

There were no sounds of the door closed so Eren quickly jumped from his bed and looked around. He found that the guards were on the floor, unconscious.

His heart skyrocketing within seconds as he felt excited that his prayer was heard. This was his chance to escape, now or never.

Eren grabbed the warm bread from the food tray, bit it furiously and chew it carelessly. He needed a little strength now so he’ll just grab whatever food he could eat quickly. He picked up a knife from the food tray and ran the sharp edge to his palm. Blood steadily flowed out as he gulped down his food. He whispered the ancient chant and soon his blood crystalized while forming the shape of a blade.

The boy’s hand trembled because the power it consumed after the chant finished was quite big. But he got no time to hesitate nor to slowed down even for a second. He cut the chain on his arm and they broke easily like cutting a wood with sharp axe. He did the same with the other arm and legs then hastily got up the bed.

He tripped on his own feet and fall to the floor with a loud _thud_. It seems that his energy has been drained down because he hardly ate anything for the last couple of days. But that didn’t matter; it wouldn’t stop him from getting away from here with Mikasa. He would break free or die trying.

\-----


	8. My Sweet Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things escalated quickly and it's more than Eren can handle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again!   
> I'm really happy that I can update this chapter on time XD  
> Thank you so much for all kudos and comments, they always keep me happy and give me energy whenever I feel down.
> 
> We're entering holiday season this time and so i wanted to say happy holiday for all of you sweet AOT fans!! XD  
> Enjoy reading!

What Reiner said about the place being a humble shack was really misleading. It was nothing like a shack; in fact it was actually a castle – an old one though. Eren tried as fast as he could to locate Mikasa and finally found her in the lowest level of the castle. Her legs were bound with chains, nailed to the hard concrete and she was very weak. Some of her scales were ripped out of her body and the open wound still bleed. Reiner’s men clearly didn’t make any effort to heal her after they plucked out the scale. Those bastards would face painful death the next time Eren saw them but right now his main focus would be to get the hell out of this prison.

Strangely, only two men were guarding her. He thought there would be at least a dozen of them but it’s not. He was lucky, maybe they could escape from here in one piece after all.

Eren snuck behind the first guard and brace his grip. He lunged forward to gag the guard’s mouth with his one hand and slit his throat with his other hand in quick movement. The guard didn’t have the chance to fight as he fell limp to the cold floor.

Eren quickly turn around and hide behind Mikasa’s body to observe his next target. The other guard was drunk; He couldn’t even stand straight so it made easier to kill him. Eren attacked the guard from behind and stab his neck to prevent him from screaming and gave him a quick death as well. His body fell to the floor and the _thud_ sound made Mikasa awaken from her sleep. She looked really excited and also happy. A growl escaped her throat but Eren quickly hold her mouth.

“Shh! Shh! Be quiet Mikasa. We gotta lay low.” He said.

“I’m gonna cut down these chains okay, so stay still.”

Eren braced his grip and swing his crystalized blood to cut those shackles which bound her legs. Those chains broke like porcelain against the blade. Once all chains were cut down Mikasa stood and shook her body to chase away the remaining dust from the top of her back. She then immediately grabbed Eren in her claws and hardened her scales into its maximum strength. Eren yelp in surprise when his body was snatched away from the ground.

“Mi – mikasa! Put me down!” He ordered but she didn’t listened. She readied her legs then jumped up and hit the upper floor with her back until the ceiling crumbled and collapse. Eren heard several guards screamed when they fall to the lower level and close his eyes just in time before hundreds of debris smashed those bodies like ants.

Mikasa didn’t stop, she knew if she stop right now they might lost their only chance to get away. Eren hang on tight to her claws as Mikasa flew up again and smashed another floor. She was hurt but the hardened scales help her to reduce the impact and pain.

“The Prince is escaping!! Catch them!!” Eren heard someone yelled and soon flying arrows lunged forward to their direction, aiming for Mikasa’s open wound. She swung her tail to ward all arrows and hit the guards until they flew few meters away. She roared loud with a voice as powerful as a thunder, deafening enough for humans to impair their battle ability for a few minutes. Mikasa used that chance to kill them mercilessly, stomping on their bodies and crushed them under her feet. She was not going to hesitate. She was determined to kill each and every one of them who hurt Eren.

“Mikasa! Forget them! We should get out of here! NOW!” Eren’s warning snapped her mind back into reality. She looked around and saw more guards coming. This fight was futile and endless because they kept coming back. Eren was right, they need to get away from here first then she could have her revenge.

Her attention quickly shifted to any vulnerable walls, or doors, or windows and she found one to the left of the building. She flew there and smashed the huge windows and shattered the beautiful gothic glasses all over the place. She flapped her huge wings and sent her body up to quickly get away from there.

Hundreds of guards were chasing them and Eren saw Reiner amongst them. He was yelling to his men and looked back to Eren.

“Eren! You’re mine!”

A shiver ran down his spine because he remembered what Reiner said about them making a child together. He looked away and whisper to himself over and over again that it would never happen. He would make sure of it.

Mikasa could get them out of there in no time if only the magical barrier protecting the castle was not there, surrounding the castle like a mother protecting her child.

If what Reiner said was true about his blood’s power then he could pass the barrier easily but the problem lies with Mikasa. She couldn’t pass through it without removing the barrier first. Her blood was not immune to magic. Just when Eren was searching for a magic spell in his head, he saw one side of the barrier ripped.

It was like watching a cloth ripped with force, the barrier was torn on one side and it widen to all direction. Somebody broke through from outside!

“Mikasa! Go that way! Somebody broke the barrier from outside!” Eren yelled and Mikasa quickly notice what he was talking about. She wasted no time and flew as fast as she can towards the broken barrier.

“It must be Armin! Armin found us!” Eren said happily. He was one hundred percent sure that the brilliant Armin would find them but what he saw made him gasped in surprise.

A black dragon burst through inside with several other green dragons from the Wind Race. He was expecting to see Armin with his staff levitate in the air and come to get them, but he certainly didn’t expect to see an army of dragons engage in a battle like this.

One thing made his heart race even faster was the sight of Levi – the humanity’s strongest soldier – in front of his eyes, wielding a sword and fought with Reiner’s men.

How in the world did he know his where-about? He was sure a month has passed since the day he left him that night. And he was certain that Levi has already gone home to the Dark Realm. But no, Levi was here, in front of his eyes, fighting with Reiner’s men with that too gorgeous face.

Those men were nothing compare to him and the view made Eren’s heart tightened. Levi looked really handsome in his white cape and armor. His black hair looked so silky to the touch and his muscles flexing every time he move to swing his sword. Sharp blue-grey eyes observed every attack that the enemies made and nothing got away from him. Levi was such a beautiful sight to see.

Mikasa’s roar made his attention back to the present and how humiliating he must’ve look. Carried away like a defenseless princess in his dragon’s claw while his idol was practically displaying what a rider should’ve looked like. He squirmed in Mikasa’s grip, tried to get away.

“Mikasa, put me down!” he said but the dragon didn’t listened, at least not until they touched the ground. When they have passed through the broken barrier which was slowly fade away, the boy saw Armin down below, waving his pretty hands with tears in his eyes and a smile on his lips. He looked very relieve.

“Eren! Mikasa!” he called them. Mikasa brought them down and landed safely on the ground. She let Eren go and he stumbled to his feet. It seems that Eren’s last energy was used up to save Mikasa and now he got nothing left, not even to support his weight and stand properly.

“Eren are you alright?” Armin quickly ran and drop to his knee to help Eren got up.

“I’m fine, I think.” The brunet answered, unsure. The crystalized blood in his hand was still in its perfect form but the wound bleeding again. He lifted it to check on it.

“What’s this?” Armin asked. His blue big eyes stared with wonders and curiosity. The blond never saw anything  like this before and he was quite sure that nobody saw this before, except maybe when the Jaeger family was still alive.

“This is my blood…I use a chant my mother taught me to crystalized it.”

“You can crystalize your blood?”

“Seems so.”

“Okay…this is…wow…this is amazing.” The blond eyes sparkled in awe and Eren knew that his best friend would be thrilled to study it but now was really not the time to do that.

“Armin, I know you want to study it and I won’t mind, really. But can you help me stand up first?”

“Oh, Oh yeah! Sorry I was just…because your hand is…I mean, oh nevermind. Come on, grab my hand.”

Eren chuckled a little to hear the blond stutter. His interest in knowledge and everything that looked _weird_ was nothing new to Eren but sometimes he forgot the time and place to be amazed by something.

The brunet grabbed Armin’s hand and pulled his body up, trying to stand with his shaky legs.

“You okay?”

“A bit weak but other than the wound in my hand, I’m okay.”

“Let me see that.” Eren showed his wounded palm with crystalized blood on it. Armin observed it for a moment. Under the crystalized blood, an open wound was found and it needs healing. He decided that it would be best to pull the hardened blood somehow and use healing magic on Eren’s hand.

“I think I’m gonna need to pull this blade…or blood off from your hand to heal your wound. Do you think you can take the pain?”

“Think so.”

“Alright. We’re going to need someone’s help though.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not strong enough to break it. I’ll just make it worse. We can ask Mikasa’s for help.” Both of them looked at Mikasa and she was lying weak on the ground. Her breathing was slow and she shut her eyes as if she was sleeping. Wounds on her body were getting worse; they bled furiously and some blood spilled on the green grass.

“Mikasa…” Armin walked away from Eren then approached the crystal dragon. She needed medical attention fast.

“Eren I’m going to heal her first. Wrap your hand with this cloth, it’ll help to stop the bleeding.” The blond handed a white handkerchief and Eren took it. He wrapped it around his hand and gave it a pressure while Armin cast healing magic on Mikasa.

Eren sighed tiredly while averted his gaze to the old castle where he held hostage for three days. The barrier was completely broken and shattered, dragons flying in every direction, and he could see that Reiner’s army numbers were greatly decreased. They either fled or died on the ground but he didn’t see the sight of Reiner nor Bertolt amongst the living or the dead. Maybe they ran away or something, Eren didn’t care.

His head spun and his surrounding started to spinning around him out of control. His feet stagger as he backed away from the cruel sunlight which hit his eyes. Then his body felt light and he couldn’t hold the ground anymore, his eyes felt heavy and it was very tempting to just sleep it off and not caring about anything anymore.

Just when his body collapsed, someone grab him from behind and keep him up.

“Watch it there brat. You might hit your head on the ground.” A velvety deep voice said to him. Eren opened his turquoise eyes and blink a few times to clear his vision.

A pale face was looking at him, with a hair so dark and contrast to the skin, frowning lips, and sharp blue-stormy eyes which was so familiar and so nostalgic. He longed to see that face again up close and this moment was like a dream.

“Levi…”

“You little piece of shit, got us all worried like that. You owe it to your blond friend over there to find your pretty little ass, shithead.”

“What?”

“Get up.”

A flashback of his dream recurred of what Levi said to him. He knitted his eyebrows while staring at the raven haired King.

“What did you just say…?”

“I said get up.”

Eren shook his head to chase away the dizziness and concentrate his mind while trying to gain his balance. Though Levi’s words were harsh, he gently pushed Eren’s body up until he could stand properly, not staggering nor swaying. Levi waited until Eren stand straight and then let his hands go.

King Erwin landed behind Levi’s back along with his army, making the earth shake as they touched ground. Eren watched them in awe, never in his life he looked at imperial army lining in front of him, rescuing his life. He silently mouthing _wow_ when those soldiers climbed down from their dragons and showed the shiny green armors with silver patterns on it, except for King Erwin who wore white armors with golden patterns carved on them. The blond king also wore green cloak as a symbol of a leader and green headpiece.

“The castle is secure. We’ve killed them all and the rest of them fled.” Erwin said with his deep voice so different from Levi.

The raven looked behind from his shoulder and frown. “Did you catch one of those fuckers?”

“I didn’t. I thought it would be best to leave them alone.”

“And wait for them to kidnap the shitty brat again?”

“You won’t let that happen again, won’t you? Beside that is a rude way to call your fiancé.”

Erwin’s last word made Eren stunned. Fiancé? Levi have a fiancé? Who was she? So Levi came here to rescue his fiancé and not him? Well that was one big misunderstanding because he happened to be on the same place and he thought that humanity’s strongest was rescuing him. Fuck he should’ve known better than to let his hopes up.

“Shut up eyebrow. This is not the time and place to discuss that shit.”

“Yet you were so desperate to rescue him. At least you can be grateful that no harm has fallen the young lad.”

Okay, now Eren got more confuse. Who in the world was this fiancé? A boy? Double fuck. It was better when he thought that this fiancé was a girl.

Levi looked away from the blond king and found Eren was lost in thought. The boy frowned, thinking to himself yet his eyes were on Levi’s. The brunet opened his mouth slowly to ask the most terrifying question ever exist, well at least for him.

“You have a fiancé?”

Levi pierced his gaze and looked away before finally returning his eyes to Eren again.

“Yes I have, Eren Jaeger.”

Those words stabbed Eren’s heart like thousand needles. His breath hitched and he bit his lower lips to keep the tears at bay with head down. He was so wrong all of these times. He thought that Levi liked him, even just a little but the truth was indeed harsher than he thought. If he didn’t just met him that night… If he met Levi when he was still Prince Jaeger would things be different?

His eyes were about to get wet but something suddenly hit his mind. His eyes slightly widen as he looked up and fixed his gaze to those beautiful blue-grey eyes.

“What…did you call me?” he tried to form a better question but his brain was not functioning well. How did The Dark King knew his last name?

The sound of his family’s name already shocked him but it was nothing compare to what happened next. Levi, _the Humanity’s Strongest Rider_ , bended on one knee and knelt down in front of him. King Erwin followed suit and so were his armies. Eren gasped out loud and all words died on his throat. He didn’t understand what’s going on anymore.

Levi bowed his head down and then slowly looked up to see Eren’s deep blush face. His heart immediately warmed at the innocent sight of the young prince. He couldn’t be more grateful of the fact that at least one of the Crystal race was alive, moreover it was the prince who’s alive, his fiancé.

“My Prince, we have been waiting for your return.”

“Oh god, what is this?”

Levi took Eren’s hand and kissed the back of the boy’s palm. “I’m taking you back, Eren. Whether you want it or not.”

The boy’s face blushed harder from the sight of Levi kissing his hand. Part of him felt happy but another part of him demanded an explanation as to how they figured out their last name. More importantly, was it okay for Levi to do this while his fiancé could be watching them anytime? Who was this fiancé anyway? Was he brought immediately to the castle? Was that why he didn’t catch a sight of him anywhere?

He pulled his hand and brought it to his chest as if to protect his screaming heart which dying of jealousy. His eyes clouded with a hint of sadness and the Dark King notice it immediately. The raven looked at him quizzically as the warmth of Eren’s hand fade away.

“Please get up.” Eren asked shortly.

“As you wish.” Everyone got up almost at the same time and Levi continued. “I see you got question for me.”

Eren rolled his eyes. Was he that much of an open book that everyone could read his expression right away? He hesitated a little while playing with his fingers and bit his lower lip before finally decided to ask.

“How did you know my last name?”

“The oracle told me.”

“Oracle?”

“Yeah, a psychic named Petra. I didn’t believe in shit like that but her _premonitions_ were never wrong.”

“Oracle…a vessel of destiny…”

“Good, you did your homework. Any other questions?”

“Mm…So everyone knew my name now?”

Levi shrugged. “Probably yeah.”

The boy sighed tiredly. It was bad enough when only few hunters knew about this and now things just got worse. He might need to move away from that cave and find another shelter but where? That cave has protected them for more than fifteen years.

“Hey I know you probably have tons of questions but right now we need to get your dragon into safety. She’s weak.”

Levi was right. He did have a lot of questions to ask but Mikasa’s injuries needed treatment right away. He couldn’t let his sister suffer any longer so he just nodded.

“You’re right. Can I trouble you to heal her? Sorry, I didn’t have much to offer for payment.”

Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance and Eren could feel his heart broke.

“I thought I told you already that I’m taking you back with me dumb brat. You think I want whatever shit you’re offering to pay me?”

The boy’s heart immediately relieved when he heard the answer once again. His plump lips turn up into a beautiful smile and his turquoise eyes shining in different shades of green and blue.

“Thank you, Levi.” He said while turned around to get Mikasa away from here but his steps were halted when an icy hand grab his own and pulled him behind. Eren almost stumbled to the back when Levi dragged him forcefully to follow the Dark King.

“You’re riding with me. Erwin’s people will take care of her.” Levi said, leaving no room for debate. Tiamat lowered her body so that Levi could jump to the back and helped Eren up to sit in front of him. The boy was so embarrassed he couldn’t say a word to Levi. He wanted to switch his seat to the back but Tiamat already up and ready to fly. He was still grateful that his back touched Levi’s armor instead of the King’s body. Imagine the awkward atmosphere if that happened.

“Wait, let me take this armor off.” And Eren’s inner voice squealed happily. He quickly leaned forward as his heart skyrocketing when he heard Levi murmur some spell to get rid of the armor. Though his consciousness was singing with pure joy and happiness, his body certainly didn’t. He was incredibly tense.

He wanted to get down from Tiamat’s back right here, right now and hide himself under a thick blanket and never to see the raven again.

“Okay, you can lean on me now.”

“ _Yes! Yes! I can finally snuggle on your sexy chest!”_ Eren’s inner voice screamed but he quickly shook his head and lean forward even further.

“I – I’ll be fine. Just fly already.” He replied rather nervous. The brunet was sure that his heart couldn’t take it anymore.

Levi clicked his tongue again and pulled Eren’s waist until the boy fall into his embrace. A cute little yelp escaped Eren’s mouth as he practically hugging his idol now. His face was bright red and suddenly the dizziness he felt few minutes earlier came rushing through his head.

“Just do as I said and hang on tight.” Levi said shortly and they were soon in the air.

Eren could feel the rising and falling of Levi’s chest from his back. Those chest muscles sometime contracting and then relaxing while he held the rope to control Tiamat. The brunet kept scolding himself to try and keep his composure. The last thing he wanted to have was for Levi to realize that he has a raging hard on while riding with the Dark King.

 

 -----

 

It was not his intention to fall asleep during their way back into the Wind Castle but he was very tired and needed the rest. The entire tense atmosphere consumed his energy until the very last drop and he let the comfortable silent embrace him as he closed his eyes and rested peacefully on Levi’s chest.

There’s a lot to ask and a lot of things to do but right now he just wanted to sleep. He wanted to forget that Levi has a fiancé, that Reiner wanted more than just his blood, and that the world was unexpectedly has figured out his last name. He wanted to forget them all.

When Eren woke up, he was once again in a bed, looking at a ceiling with blurry vision but this time the room smell nice, the bed was comfy and the blanket was warm. He snuggled a little inside the blanket and smile to himself. It’s been a long time since he had a nice sleep like this and he wanted to savor it a little bit longer.

He inhaled the fresh scent of the clean blanket and hugged the pillow tighter. He’ll sleep for another five minute and then grabbed some food with Mikasa.

“Oh my god, Mikasa!” The sudden memory of what happen just flooded his mind and he shot right up from the bed.

“Calm down brat, she’s okay.” A voice startled him and he looked to the right where that velvety voice came from.

He saw Levi sat on a chair and then put down the book he was reading. He wore a simple white shirt with four of the top buttons open, revealing his perfect chest muscle as he rub the back of his neck. The shirt was paired with black pants but no shoes on. Eren thought that Levi casual look was hot.

The raven got up from the chair and walks closer to Eren’s bed. The boy heartbeat quickened when their distance was getting shorter and it got worse when Levi sat on the mattress.

Levi’s pale hand reached out to the brunet and he caressed that bright red cheek tenderly.

“How are you feeling?”

Eren wanted to look compose, he didn’t want to look like an idiot like last time so he gulped down a big lump down the throat and collected his guts to look straight to Levi’s eyes. It didn’t last longer than two seconds though and he was back to staring at his blanket again.

“I’ve been better.”

“No shit.” Levi said nonchalantly despite him being amused by the view of that tanned cheek which got darker by the second. The boy was cute as fuck.

“The wedding is in three days. Think you’re well enough to go?”

Eren’s gasped silently and the blushing on his cheeks gone. Levi aware of that and frowns in respond. It was as if Eren didn’t want to hear the word _wedding_.

“Uh…congratulation. Guess you’ve found him at last… That’s good…yeah.”

“Him? What are you babbling about?”

“Your fiancé, you were rescuing him too when I got out of Reiner’s castle right?”

“What the hell?”

“I know, you didn’t have to tell me. And I don’t want to sound rude but I…can’t be there at your wedding.”

“Hold it right there shithead. I think we’re not on the same page here.”

“No…no I totally understand that you wanted to be happy as soon as possible but I… I can’t be there. If you want The Jaeger family representative, Mikasa can do it. I’m sorry, I just can’t do it because…”

“Shut up Jaeger.”

“Let me finish first, jeez. I was grateful that you rescued me back then, and of course I will repay you somehow but this…I can’t do this. I really can’t do this because – “

“I said shut the fuck up!” Levi jumped from his seat and grabbed Eren’s face then kissed him hard on the lips. Those thin lips caressed Eren’s lips as he licked them, making wet noises as Levi devoured him hungrily. Eren couldn’t control his own desire as he surrender himself to the Dark King. He wanted those lips to touch him again ever since their last meeting.

“Hmm…Nghh…Levi…mmnnn…ah…” Eren moan shamelessly, enjoying every rough stroke that Levi gave him to his abused lips. He actually wanted more but how could he do that while Levi was in love with another guy? But another voice in his head told him to enjoy this moment no matter who Levi’s fiancé was. He couldn’t let Levi go, not now.

Eren closed his eyes and let Levi abused his lips again and again. He opened his mouth a little to let breathy moan escaped and Levi took that chance to slip his tongue in. Eren felt hot under those kisses and his inside burned when Levi played with his tongue. Up and down, right and left then the kiss broke just to be reconnected again soon. The boy’s mouth water from the delicious taste of the kiss and he gulp some of Levi’s saliva. Fuck he couldn’t think straight anymore.

Eren let him dominated as his strength walked away from his body. The kiss got hotter when Levi’s hand touched his neck and tilted his chin up to devour him deeper. Tears pool around the corner of Eren’s eyes because his chest tightened and he couldn’t properly breathe.

“Levi…I can’t...ah...breathe..Nnggg…Mmnn…”

“Breathe through your nose brat.” He ordered and then kissed Eren again, gently this time while pushing the boy to the bed. The raven pulled away from the kiss with great effort then watch that beautiful green eyes glazed in lust and tears. Good god, he wanted to fuck the brat right here, right now, but first some explaining was needed to clear things up.

“You are my fiancé, stupid shit.”

“Wha…? You already have a fiancé then you wanted me to become yours too?”

“Fuck you’re an idiot. I am engaged to you since fifteen years ago.”

“I…don’t get it…how come…”

“Shit your brain turned useless over a kiss. Did your parents ever tell you that you have a fiancé?”

“Yeah…mom did…but my fiancée was surely a woman – holy shit, no way.”

“Yeah brat, I am your fiancé. And our wedding is in three days.”

And Eren was out of this world once again.

\-----


	9. The Healing Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clearing things up sometimes hard for The Dark King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!   
> Thank you so much for reading and also for all the kudos and comments X//D  
> You guys are awesome!! And i am seriously crying from happiness right now :"D 
> 
> Work has been very busy since new year began but couldn't really complain when I love my job hahaha XD  
> Thank you so much for reading all the way to this chapter.  
> I know this update is late but i'm hoping that you'll like this chapter.  
> We'll dive in sexy activities on the next chapter so please bear with this for now hehehe~
> 
> Happy reading!!

He heard the sound of the rain pitter patter against the glass but he didn’t want to open his eyes yet. They felt heavy and he didn’t want to move, too comfortable to leave his nest.

There was another sound mixed in the quiet room and this one was rather soft yet rough and full of emotions. There’s pain in it but also pleasure and happiness. How could such soft sigh contain so many emotions? The sound intrigued him so he decided to wake up.

He opened his eyes and found himself standing in an empty space. Everything was white and he couldn’t differ right from left or front from back. There was a black spot not far from where he stood, so he walked there. The voice came from there and the closer he got, the louder he heard.

Those soft sighs slowly became clearer and changed into breathy moans. He knew that voice, it was very familiar. Where had he heard that voice before? Was it his friend’s? No, he didn’t have a single friend with raspy voice like this.

When he took another step closer toward the dark room – where the voice came from, he hesitate a little to step inside. He was having a cold sweat but he didn’t know why. He closed his eyes and focus on the voice that echoes in the room.

“…vi…ah…more…” the words became clearer now and he remembered whose voice was that. It was _his own voice_. He could hear himself panting and moaning shamelessly inside the room. Though he never experienced that before, he knew instantly what were they doing inside. He was having sex with someone.

“Come on…scream louder…move your hips.” Said another voice. He took one more step forward and pushed the door just a little to take a peek inside. The sight of him being pounded in the ass by a man was more than a shock to him yet the view was not disturbing at all. In fact, it woke something inside him. _Lust_ , raw lust like an animal in heat when he watched his butt-cheeks bounce every time the man slapped his hip to Eren’s ass. The man was thrusting his cock into Eren’s asshole repeatedly and furiously like his life was depend on it.

Wet sounds reverberate in the empty room as the rhythm increase. He couldn’t tear his eyes away because it was too late. He got caught by his own animalistic desire to watch them fuck on the bed.

The man was not slowing down at all and Eren’s voice beneath him got louder. He pushed the door even further to let the light come in and shone on them. His eyes grew wide when the face of the man who fucked him furiously was finally clear.

“More! Yes! Yes! Fuck me harder! Aaahh Levi!”

\-----

The breakfast that morning felt awkward for Eren. Not because he was surrounded by important people from the Wind Dragon Race and Dark Dragon Race but because of the dream he had this morning.

How embarrassing. He was actually dreaming of Levi fucking him in the middle of the night and he woke up with a boner completely drenched with cum. He made a mess of his bed because of some wet dream in someone else’s house. He fucked up bad. His feeling to Levi turned into something real and it was indeed love.

Eren still remembered the wet sound he made in that dream, those sighs, moans, and desperate screams when clung to Levi for his dear life. Levi’s body was glistened with sweat and precum which smeared around his lower stomach. Hard thrusts into Eren’s ass were repeatedly made and each slap produced dirty sound which got louder and louder with every move.

The boy was moaning, begging for Levi to deliver faster thrusts into his melting ass. The sound of wet slaps from skin to sin contact once again filled his mind. He was so close to his own release as he asked, begged, pleaded to Levi again and again to pound his asshole harder. And then Eren saw it, Levi’s pained expression when he plunged deep into Eren’s ass for the last time while trembling in pleasures from relieving his load into the tight hole. The raven hold his breath and move faster to shoot his load again and again then exhale long once he had poured them all into Eren’s ass.

He could feel his face flushed and he shook his head to get rid of those delicious images out of his mind. He was in the dining room, with several other peoples, and Levi was staring at him.

“ _Holy shit! He’s staring at me!_ _Since when? Oh please don’t let him or anyone know what I was thinking_ _just now_.” Eren prayed in his heart and look away from Levi’s sharp gaze. He couldn’t hide how his face blush all the way to the ear and Armin quickly notice. The blond pierced his eyes to his best friend who lower his head and hide from people’s gaze.

“Eren, what’s wrong? Your face is red…” Armin paid attention on Eren’s face and he realized that Eren was avoiding certain direction so he looked up and found Levi peek on the brunet from the corner of his eyes.

The blond boy looked at Eren again and watch the way he blush while his legs squirmed uncomfortably to hold something between his pants with both arms clamped inside his thighs, then everything fall into place.

“Oh… Oh wait, please refrain from thinking anything indecent in this dining room.”

“What? No, I am not doing…err…thinking…whatever _things_ you thought I was thinking. What’s with the question?”

“You’re quick to deny it huh? I was right… Jeez Eren.”

“I am not Armin! Stop making a racket.”

“Well you certainly make a racket with your voice raised like that. Thank goodness Mikasa is not around.”

“Shut up!”

“I will but you need to calm yourself down. You’re probably too excited about the marriage.”

Well, Eren couldn’t deny that. He certainly happy with the way things went and the most exciting things of all were that Levi will be his future husband. The shade of his blush got darker and he certainly wished that he could crawl under the blanket and hide forever because now almost everyone was looking at them.

“ _Think of something else. Think of something else._ ” He ordered himself while trying to think of what happened recently. The blade which made from his blood was brought to Necromancer Zoe’s lab for further research. She was thrilled to have something so unique in her lab and couldn’t help to investigate deeper. As a result she didn’t come out of her room since yesterday. Only God knows what she’s doing inside that dark room.

Mikasa’s injuries were treated well and she’s recovering rapidly though she still hasn’t regained consciousness until today. She needed the rest until the doctor said otherwise. With that situation in hand, Eren only got Armin to stay with him during this _intense_ breakfast. The blond sat to his left side while on the right side was Petra, The Oracle. Petra decided to come down from Pandora and visit the young prince.

Eren thought that Petra was beautiful, but _inhumanly_ beautiful because of her pale – almost transparent skin – was a weird sight to see. Armin explained that Oracle’s skin color turned translucent once they’re out of Lunatic Pandora. They could only last for a day outside of Pandora because of the earth’s unclean air. Her strawberry blond hair looked like human though. Sometimes Eren shivered when he looked at her skin but Petra’s smile was comforting and quickly neutralized his fear.

Next to Petra was supposed to be Hanji Zoe but she had better things to do and better place to be so Moblit, Hanji’s guardian, sat there. Levi sat across the table directly in front of Eren. Their eyes often met accidently but he felt relieved that Levi wasn’t sitting side by side with him. He was absolutely nervous and sitting beside the raven would surely make his heartbeat stammering uncontrollably.

The other chairs in the dining room were filled with royal officials. As soon as the news of his identity spread, other kingdoms immediately sent a request along with their representatives to the meet him. Eren thought that his status was not important anymore because he was a prince without a kingdom. He was just an ordinary boy living under years of threat and has been spending his entire live trying to survive. But that not seemed to be the case with other people.

The news that the Crystal Dragon Race’s prince had survived the attack certainly drew a lot of attentions. News spread like wildfire and put Thunder Race in a bad position, not to mention the latest kidnapping case was also orchestrated by Thunder Dragon’s rider. Luckily they’re smart enough not to showed up in public right now so they’re safe from all the mocking and questioning. Rumor has it that they close their Kingdom for contacts with other races.

So far there’s no one speaking or asking question to him so he opted to eat the delicious foods in front of him. Those officials looked busy whispering to one another and he was not interest in found out what they were talking about.

Eren picked up a bun with a very alluring aroma. His mouth drooled at the touch of the warm bread in his hand and suddenly he felt very hungry. He took a bite and the butter inside tasted like heaven. Soft, warm, and tasty, they melted in his tongue and he couldn't help to hum in approval. He never tasted a bread so rich with flavors before.

He took another bite and another to finish the delicious bread then quickly grabbed another bun. He savored the rich flavors in his tongue.

"Hmmmnn....this is sooo good. What is this? I mean, I know what this is but it tasted so different from the usual bread."

Petra who joined the breakfast with them chuckled when she saw the way Eren's cheek stuffed like a hamster.

"You like it? I made them actually. I put cinnamon and a high quality butter in it. Want me to teach you?"

"Yes please!"

"Alright, we'll need Erwin's kitchen I guess. You don't mind right Erwin?"

Erwin who sat across the table from Petra waved his hand as a gesture to grant her request.

"Yes, sure. You can use it anytime. Just ask the head chef for any ingredient you might need."

"Thanks. I knew you'd say yes."

Petra then looked at Levi and offered her wicked smile.

"You won’t mind if I borrow Eren, right Levi?"

The raven looked at her with his bored expression then look away to take his glass. He tilted the glass and spin it gently.

"Whatever. Do as you like. Just make sure you'll return him by the end of today. We're going back to the dark realm tomorrow morning."

Eren was certainly shocked to hear that. He never heard of that plan before. Well, maybe because the last time they met he fainted because of the wedding news.

"We're going to your kingdom tomorrow?" he asked, rather disagree.

"Yeah brat."

"Wait that’s a bit too sudden... Mikasa hasn’t even woke up yet."

"Once she woke up, Erwin's men can show her the way to my castle."

"But...I want Mikasa and Armin to go with me."

"The wedding arrangement has been set up. They can come after Mikasa is strong enough to go."

"No wait please, they’re important for me. I want them to be there. Why are you so in a rush about this whole wedding thing?"

Levi didn’t reply immediately and took a sip from his glass.

"Tell me Levi, why are we in a rush?" Eren asked again.

"Because we’re engaged and I don’t want to delay this shit anymore."

"That’s it...?"

“…just finish your breakfast before it gets cold.”

That was definitely not what Eren hoped he would hear. How stupid, he should’ve never thought that Levi had the same feelings with him. When two human engaged it didn’t mean that they were in love with each other and now, Eren should know better than anyone that engagement was not as sweet as it sound.

There was a pain in his heart, small enough to ignore it but the pain rapidly spread from his heart up to his head and stung his eyes. He felt a sudden urge to cry but he managed to hold it in. The hunger that occupied his senses immediately gone and the warm fluffy buns in front of him suddenly didn’t look that good anymore.

He put down the bread in his hand and bit his lower lip.

“Mm…excuse me for a moment.” Eren politely said and pushed the chair to the back and stand up to leave the room.

“Eren – “

“To the toilet... I’ll just be a minute Armin.” He cut Armin’s word before the blond could say anything.

Levi watched his fiancé walk away leaving the dining room until Eren disappeared behind the door. He put the glass back down on the table and shifted his eyes back to the plate again but he feel a pair of angry eyes stared at him.

“Well that went well.” Petra said while shaking her head.

“What is?”

“Oh Levi, don’t tell me you didn’t realize what you just said?”

“I told him the truth.”

“Not all of it.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You know exactly what I mean.”

“If this is about admitting my feelings to him then he should already know how I feel about him.”

“How Levi? Explain to me how he should know how you feel about him because I can’t see it. Do you expect him to read your minds?”

“I don’t. The brat is stupid as fuck.”

“Then you should explain! He was asking an important question back there and you answered it like you were only half care about him.”

“I didn’t.”

“Yes you did, now chase him.”

Levi clicked his tongue and look away for a moment. He knew that he was wrong but he didn’t know how to fix things. He was always awkward to deal with emotions and this was nothing different. Would chasing Eren right now better than let him be for a while? How should he fix things if he chase the boy now?

“Levi, stop thinking and go now. This is your only chance!”

“Tsk!” Levi got up from his chair and hastily walked out of the room. Erwin watch him leave the room in a hurry and look over to where Petra and Armin sat. Petra offered her sweet smile and Erwin shook his head.

\-----

 

Eren noticed the leaves rustle when he brush the horse’s hair gently. The wind was strong and they blew in any directions they could reach. It touched Eren’s hair in such gentle moves and he could feel soft wind caressing his body too. He enjoyed those soothing caresses very much especially after what happened in the dining room. It was like a healing balm to his broken heart.

After he got out of the room, he ran as fast as his feet could carry to Mikasa’s room but along the way he found a horse stable unlocked not far from the building where he was standing so he opted to take a detour and find comfort amongst the sweet animals.

He was always fond of animals, they had a pure heart, sweet attitude, and certainly willing to listen to any problem he might have. When he had a fight with Mikasa, the first place he would visit was the woods where animals such as rabbits and deers lived. He would cry his heart out to them and they would sat there, listening to all of his whim.

Now was one of those times when he needed some comfort and a shoulder to cry on while neglecting the fact that horse didn’t exactly have a _shoulder_ to rely on. He blew a tired and sad sigh while leaning his head to the horse’s big face and closed his eyes.

“I should’ve known… Not every tale have a happy end, right?” he asked the horse which only gave a small whimper.

“Uh-huh…I know, stupid me. Of course he won’t feel the same as I do. After all this engagement is for political purpose, not love.”

Eren opened his teary eyes and looked at the sweet animal’s pretty eyes. “What should I do? Hell, I like him more than you know but I kinda want to back out of this political marriage thing.”

The white horse purr and shove his nose to Eren. The brunet chuckled. “You’re cute.”

He brushed the hair again gently while thinking to himself. Actually it was useless to think right now because his brain was clouded with sadness. It was difficult to think clearly and make the correct judgment with this situation. He ended up with another sigh.

“Shit I can’t think straight right now. Hey, how about we take a little walk? I promise not to tell anyone.” He proposed to the beautiful creature and received a happy neigh. Eren assumed that it agreed to his suggestion.

He looked around and found an unused saddle hanging just nearby so he took it and equipped it on top of the horse. He tightened the belt and double check everything before he opened the stall and lead the horse out of the stable. His clothing was not exactly fit for a ride but who care. He has been in far worse situation before when he had to ride a horse without any safety on, so clothing was the least of his concern.

Once they were out of the stable he hopped on to the horse’s back and everything looked far better from up there. He inhale deep then exhale long to feel the clean air around him.

“Eren!” suddenlt someone called him from behind and he found Levi standing not far from the stable. Oh no, he didn’t want to meet or speak with the raven right now so he kick his legs and ordered the horse to run.

“Hyah!” he yelled and the strong animal shriek in surprise before it started running to the opposite direction from the raven.

“Eren!” Levi called again but Eren kept on adding the speed so that he could get away. He refused to speak with the raven right now. Well at least until his heart calmed down and he could think clearly for himself.

Eren hold the rein tight while adding more speed and ran further into the woods. He was devastated, he wanted some time alone, and he wanted nowhere near Levi. He should’ve been happy that he was engaged to the person he love but this was nowhere near everything he ever hoped for.

The sky got darker and the wind blew cold air. A storm worked on its way to him right now but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to come back, especially with Levi behind.

“Eren! Eren stop!” Levi’s voice was heard again and he looked behind. The Dark King rode a horse to chase after him and his distance was closing in every seconds.

“Go away! Leave me alone!” Eren yelled back.

“No fucking way kid! Reduce the speed!”

“Don’t tell me what to do! You don’t even like me! Hell you didn’t even love me!”

“Stupid fuck! Stop right now!”

“Shut up! Don’t chase me! Get away from me!”

“Eren Goddamn Jaeger you better stop the horse right now or you’ll fall off the cliff!!”

Eren didn’t listen. Even as the rain has started to poured, he kept the horse running and running without looking forward. He closed his eyes and hoping that he would really fall off the cliff and die quickly because he was tired of this bullshit. He missed his parents and he wanted to be free!

The rain poured hard and they felt like needle stabbing his skin, cold and sharp, hitting his bare skin like they were trying to make a hole on his body. He ignore them all but a cold hand suddenly brushed against his hand and pulled the rein hard. The horse shrieked and pranced and the next thing Eren knew was that he fell onto the ground. The boy yelped in surprised as he landed on top of the wet grass and waited for a few seconds to feel his body aching in pain due to the impact, but the pain never came. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a strong broad shoulder with familiar scent holding him tight in an embrace.

Levi protected him. They both fell to the ground and Levi protected him.

“Levi!” Eren shouted and quickly sat up. Levi was conscious but his head bleed and the blood flowed across his face.

“You’re bleeding. Oh shit. Why did you do that?!”

“Tsk, you’re welcome shithead. I told you there’s a cliff over there.”

“What do you care? You could’ve just let me fall. I’m nothing to you.”

“You’re not.” Levi sat up and comb back his damp black hair roughly with his hand. Blood soaked his pale hand and he grimace in disgust. “Shit, fucking disgusting.”

“I told you, you’re bleeding.” Eren pull his white shirt and rip a part of it then offered it to Levi. “Here, hold the wound with this. I’ll get help.”

Levi snatched the white cloth and pressed it against his head. “Don’t. There’s a house nearby, we can take shelter there.”

“House? Whose house?”

“Erwin’s.” he answered shortly and got up from the dirty ground as he kept put on pressure to the wound. Eren immediately helped him up with concerned look on his face. Levi release a heavy sigh.

“Stop making that face. I’m fine. It’s just a small wound, nothing a potion couldn’t heal.”

“Yeah but… Thanks…and I’m sorry.”

“Save it brat. We’re soaking wet here. Get a move on.” Levi pulled Eren’s icy hands that trembled due to the cold rain.

Eren’s horse has run away but Levi’s didn’t so they ride it together. The raven put away the cloth, kept it in his pocket and pick up Eren’s body to carry the boy in his embrace just like a bride. The brunet yelped in surprise and was about to protest but halted when those icy blue eyes staring at him from point blank range.

He was intoxicated with that sharp gaze and soon his mind betrayed the tantrum he put on earlier. Eren’s eyes tracing down from Levi’s eyes to his beautifully shaped nose and to his thin enticing lips. He gulped down a big lump when he stare at them while his mind wandered by itself. Eren leaned closer to the lips and saw it open slightly.

“ _Kiss me, give me a taste. Please kiss me already you cocky bastard_.” His heart begged as he slowly leaned forward to Levi’s face but the wish quickly dispersed when the raven talk to him.

“Oi Jaeger, climb up and get on the horse.”

Eren startled a little when he was brought back to the reality. “Oh r-right.” He stuttered in embarrassment when realized that he was desperately trying to kiss Levi. He squirmed to get on the saddle while Levi lifting him up higher so that Eren can reached it.

The Dark King was shorter than him but he certainly stronger. He lifted Eren’s body like it was nothing and Eren could understand why he was called the strongest rider. His appearance could deceived a lot of people, especially anyone who judge the book by its cover.

Once Eren was up on the saddle, Levi hop on and took control of the black horse. He maneuvered it toward a path hidden in the woods. The rain didn’t subsided and got heavier instead but the house that Levi mentioned was close so they reached it in no time.

The house was not actually _the typical_ _house_ Eren imagined to be. It was more like a château, an empty one though but it was clean. Nobody seemed to lived there though. Levi led the horse circled the building and they found small stable behind. It was smaller than the one in the Wind Castle but it was still as big as a common people’s house.

Levi led it in and then hop down from the horse while extending both hands to Eren.

“Come on.” He said shortly and Eren hesitated a little before he took both hands in his and climb down. Levi’s hands were cold like ice.

“Wait there.” He instructed again and led the horse into one of the stalls. Levi removed the saddle and gave a gentle pat on the horse’s neck before he locked it.

After the horse was secured in place he pulled Eren’s hand and brought him out to get inside the manor from the front door. It was locked when he tried to open it so he kicked it down and the lock broke instantly. The door slammed open and he step inside without hesitation.

“Levi! This is King Erwin’s property.”

“He’ll fix it. It’s no big deal for him. Get inside.” Levi pulled Eren inside and closed the door.

“Come on, second floor.”

Eren let himself dragged by the Dark King to a room in the second floor. The door wasn’t locked this time so there was no need for Levi to ruin it. He opened it and shoved Eren inside.

“There’s a bathroom in the corner. Go and take a bath. I’ll go look for something to warm you up.”

“What about you? You’re also drenched to the bone.”

“I’ll be fine. You on the other hand will catch a cold, like a brat after playing in the rain. Now get into the fucking bath.” And with that Levi slammed the door and leave Eren inside with burning face.

He felt embarrassed for putting a tantrum back then but he was also upset. Levi didn’t exactly told him that he like Eren but his kindness made the boy wanted to think that the raven had feelings for him. Eren wanted a clear answer from the dark king but Levi treated him like a child.

Eren let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes with his hand. It was cold to the touch and he realized that he should really get in the bath now. Thinking too much wouldn’t get him anywhere so he better clean himself up before he really catch a cold.

He walked to the end of the room and opened the door to his left side. It led to a bathroom just like Levi said but there was no water in the tub, of course. The bathroom was big with a tub lying dormant in the middle of the room. There was a large mirror on the right wall and a folding screen on the left side of the tub with clean towel and a white shirt hanging loose on it.

Eren started undressing himself and let his wet clothes crumpled on the floor. He opened the tap and cold water started to run. He was hoping for a hot water but it seemed like there wasn’t much he could do in this empty manor so he put up with the cold thing.

Once the tub was half full he stepped inside and soaked his body until his chest submerged. It wasn’t a pleasant bath, the water was cold, his body shivered violently, and he was suddenly tired of the things that happened today, so he scrubbed his hands, legs, stomach, torso, and back as fast as he could.

Once he was clean, Eren jumped out of the tub and grab the clean towel which hanged on the folding screen. He rubbed and dried himself up while looking behind the screen for any clothes that he could use. There was nothing though so he would have to borrow the only piece of shirt hanging there.

The shirt was too big on him and the sleeves were too long but luckily it covered his body down until his upper thigh. Well it was better than not wearing anything at all. Eren sigh and hesitantly walked out of the bathroom. He expected to see the room empty but apparently Levi already waited for him to come out. The raven sat on a chair beside the nightstand, half naked, legs crossed, and arms rested on the armchair.

“You bathed? Good. Come here.” Levi said while extending moving his fingers as a sign for the boy to walked closer. Eren gulped before he slowly walked to the bed, he felt nervous. The raven wasn’t even shy about showing his naked skin to a stranger like him but he certainly appreciated the view.

Levi’s body was gorgeous. That strong smooth chest, beautifully shaped six packs navel, and toned biceps adorned with tattoos from the left side of his neck down all the way to his elbow. The view was too much for Eren so he opted to avoid eye contact to prevent a bigger disaster. He wouldn’t want to get excited by himself again while Levi didn’t feel the same way as him.

Eren tried to concentrate on the pot that continuously puffed out hot air and a very sweet fragrance. His stomach rumble and Eren quickly covered it with his hands.

“You skip breakfast.”

“I didn’t. You saw me ate those buns.”

“That’s not enough. You barely ate anything while you were held captive.” Levi sat up and grabbed the pot to pour the content into a cup. He then put the pot back and shoved the milk tea to the boy. Eren take it from his hands and slurp the warm delicious milk.

“Hmm….it’s good…”

Levi watched Eren enjoyed his tea and how he savored the taste of that warm liquid. Eren kept on slurping the milk and eventually he gulped down the entire cup and sigh in relieve.

“Wow that was seriously good.”

“Glad you like it.” Levi pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and grabbed Eren’s hand and tugged him closer.

“Wha – “

The raven dabbed his handkerchief lightly to Eren’s lips. He cleaned the upper lip then to his lower lip until there were no trace of the tea’s leftover. Once cleaned Levi bring the handkerchief to his lips and kissed it while looking at Eren’s turquoise eyes that stare at him with blushing cheeks. The boy looked troubled but also looked like he could fall to his embrace any moment. His cheeks were dusted in bright red shades and Levi could feel the boy’s fingers trembled.

Levi pocketed the handkerchief back and took the cup away from Eren’s hand to put it back on the nightstand. He looked to Eren’s eyes again.

“Sorry… I should’ve just answered your question back then.”

“My question?”

“Yeah on the breakfast this morning…”

“You didn’t like me right. This is just a political marriage…though I have no idea what good does it make to marry a kingdomless prince.”

“No…it’s not like that… Eren… I waited so long for us to meet…”

Eren stare at him in disbelieve so Levi continued. “Since the day you were born I was actually…looking forward to meet you…”

“You want to meet me…? Wait, since the day I was born? How old are you now?”

Levi sighed before he answered that question. He knew one day he would have to tell the boy but he never thought that it would happen this fast.

“I’m…sixteen hundred years old.”

“Holy fuck! No fucking way! You gotta be shittin’ me!”

“I’m not. Watch your mouth brat.”

“But...but you’re human, aren’t you? Human only lived one hundred years top.”

Levi sighed again before he answered the hysterical boy. “The Dark Dragon race is a cursed race. We are very powerful riders but cursed with a very long age. I’ve been living on earth for as long as I could remember and most of the time I felt sick of living because nothing satisfied my hunger anymore.”

“Why? You need food like normal human too, right?”

“Sometimes…but what we needed the most wasn’t food. We…eat souls…”

“Souls…like human’s soul?”

“That too. It doesn’t matter what, we only need a living being’s soul.”

“I see… What happen if you don’t eat?”

“We would die.”

Eren got silent all of a sudden. He could feel Levi’s cold hand lost all of its strength since he started the conversation. He thought to himself for a moment then took Levi’s hand in his hand.

“Did you ever attempt to starve yourself to death?”

“I did. I was sick of living. At that time I believed that I would never found my half wing mate.”

“Your half wing mate? You are already powerful enough. You don’t need to find your half wing mate to unlock your full potential.”

“No, it’s not for the power. Finding our half wing mate could help us return back to normal human being again…”

“How’s that work?”

“If we drank the blood of our half wing mate then the curse would be broken. We could live normally like any other human do.”

“Wow… you must be desperate to find him… Your half wing I mean.”

“Eren…you are my half wing.”

“No, I’m not. I don’t have the tattoo. Nothing happened when I turned eighteen.” Eren said with low voice. He loved Levi and it would be great if he was the half wing mate for the Dark King but it was too good to be true. He got nothing on his back and nothing to help Levi.

“My tattoo was gone too.” Levi said and that sure bring Eren’s attention up again.

“You don’t have a tattoo?”

“I have one but it disappeared when I couldn’t save your kingdom from destruction.”

“My kingdom? So it was really you. You came and helped us when the war happened.”

“I did nothing.”

“Levi…don’t be so harsh on yourself. You did all you could but sometimes shit happened.”

The raven looked down to the hand that was being held by the boy. How warm. Eren’s forgiveness was really warm and soothed his heart more than he expected it. He had seek for a forgiveness all these times and when Eren said those words, he felt like everything was going to be okay.

His heart was healed and now there was only one thing he wanted to do and he would do anything to make it happened. Levi certainly hoped that Eren wouldn’t reject him this time.

“Eren…I want to make love to you…”

\-----


	10. Unity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To become one with Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> It's been a while and this time I'm glad I can update this chapter on time XD  
> Thank you sooooo much for the kudos and comments!!  
> They're always be my fuel to face another day at work.  
> You guys are the best !!
> 
> This chapter contains porn so you can always skip it if it's not your preference ;)  
> Happy reading!

The rain poured hard outside and it was definitely cold, but the sudden question – no, confession – make his entire body burned as heat slowly rise to his face. He couldn't believe what he heard and he was not sure how to interpret the situation.  
Did Levi just ask to make love to him? That confession has no other meaning, right?

His cold hand that touched Levi's turned hot and sweaty. He tried to let go but Levi kept it in place and repeat the words again.

"Eren...I want to make love to you. I want to taste you and get inside of you." Levi lifted his hand and kissed the back of his palm.

"Will you let me?"

Eren wanted to say yes right away but he choked on his reply. He quickly looked down to his feet to avoid eye contact. He couldn't form words with his messy mind because that simple kiss sent jolts of electricity to his entire body, paralyzing his senses and weakened his mind. He gulped down his saliva and tried to breathe normally while calming his heartbeat. Slowly his mind went back to work and his trembling fingers tugged at Levi’s cold one but his eyes were still focus on the floor.

"Yeah..."

"Are you scared?"

"No..."

"You should be. I'm about to fuck you hard."

Eren's heartbeat suddenly skyrocketing as he looked up to those stormy blue eyes which glazed in lust. He understood what Levi meant but couldn't bring himself to refuse the temptation even if it meant hurting his body. It was unbelievable how such simple confession could make his entire body respond. He wanted Levi, he craved for him and he wanted this now.  
"I don't care. Just fuck me."

Levi kissed the back of his palm once again before getting off the chair and bow down to his knees. His cold hands traveled up on Eren's thighs and kiss the left one, down from the knee then slowly worked his way up. Eren could feel Levi’s callous hand caressing his skin and bit his lips to hold the excitement. Those were the same hands that rescued him from Reiner’s grip and days of torture. And now he was about to be fucked by that same strong hand.

Levi left kisses and bites on Eren's thigh while purposely let out wet smack sound each time he suck on the skin. He repeated it over and over again to make sure that Eren heard that dirty sound.

"Nngghh...ow...Levi..." Eren couldn't stand it. Those sounds were too obscene and his cock twitched every time he heard it. He could see his dick jutted out behind the white shirt and he was not sure whether to cover it or just let Levi see it.

His legs trembled as he tried to hold his ground while watching the Dark King suck on his skin and left beautiful purple bruises everywhere. Eren was about to take one step back but Levi gripped his thigh to make him stay in place.

"Don't. You're not going anywhere." The raven ordered as he continued to suck on the skin of from Eren’s left thigh to the right. Levi’s right hand snaked behind to squeeze Eren's butt cheek while the other hand caressed the inner thigh as he made his way to touch the balls.

"Nghh!" Eren yelp in surprise when Levi's cold fingers touched his sensitive part and his hands reflexively protect his balls from further invasion.

"Eren, move your hands."

"Wait...I...its..." the boy couldn't form a single words with his jumbled mind. His face burned with embarrassment and he couldn't stand how Levi’s touch could send fire to his entire body. His heart pounds on his chest and they got louder by the second. At this rate everyone could listen to them clear as day.

"Move them out of the fucking way." Levi grabbed Eren's hands and yanked them to the side and kept them in place while he kissed the thigh. Eren's skin smelled of fresh soap and it was soft like a baby's butt. He hummed in pleasure while tasting the boy's natural scent and he showered it with light kisses. Hot tongue moved to tease the skin, earning small yelp from the boy.

"Ngh...ah! Fuck Levi, don't tease." Eren said but Levi chose to ignore it. He kept making his way up to Eren's scrotum which looked delicious as hell. The shaft was fully hard by now, standing proud in front of Levi's eye and only covered by the thin layer of white shirt. Eren looked hot with a cock that leaked precum, wetting the shirt, and twitching balls that invited him to eat them.

Levi snuck inside the shirt and gave a lick to the balls, tasting the water before he gave it another careful lick with his tongue. Eren gasped in surprise as he clenched his fist hard until his palm turned white.

"Shit! Levi! Ah!" Eren screamed while surrendering himself to the pleasure. Levi's tongue on his balls felt hot and rough to his sensitive skin. He could feel shots of pleasures ran through his body when Levi kissed them and inhale the scent like they were the sweetest candy. Levi sniffed his balls and shaft like the way he kissed his handkerchief and holy fuck Eren’s legs gave away. He couldn't properly stand anymore but Levi caught him just in time before his body collapse on the cold floor.

"Levi... I can’t stand..."

Levi hold his thigh and lifted his body high on a tight embrace.

"Let's do it on the bed." the raven said while he carried Eren in his arms. The boy was too skinny, all skins and bones, tiny waist, long legs, but he got a beautiful ass. It was like holding a woman but Eren's curve was much more enticing than any other human he ever met.

He dropped the boy on top of the soft mattress and Eren looked goddamn gorgeous with the way his oversize shirt disheveled and wet on the bottom. That pale twitching cock begged to be touch and his trembled legs squirmed to cover the little dignity he had left. But no, Levi won’t have that. He wanted to strip Eren naked until there was no more dignity left in him while he was losing himself in pleasure and screamed Levi's name.

He licked the balls again and swallowed them whole in his mouth and earned another surprised gasp. Eren’s fingers gripped at Levi's scalp hard as he moan.

"Ah…Fuckfuck! Ngmmnnn!"

The way Eren screamed in pleasure awakened something inside him. Levi massaged the balls with his tongue, felt the core rolled in his tongue as he kept lapping from bottom side to the upper one then gave it a gentle pressure.

"Aaaah! Holy fuck!" Eren screamed. The sensation drove him crazy as pleasures spread through all over his body and numbed his mind. His breaths become uncontrollable and he arched his back in respond to the pleasure. The way his balls spoiled make his mind went crazy and he was about to burst.

“I’m cumming! Levi! Levi! Nggghhhhh!” Eren shot his first load into the stomach and made a hot sticky mess.

"Aaaaah… Mnnn!" he moaned while gripping the sheets tighter with both hands and his cock kept on spurting white thick cum until he was spent, mind blank as he stared to the side of the bed with raging breaths.

Levi let go of the balls out with a loud pop and looked at his fiancé. Eren looked so fucking perfect with messy hair, eyes unfocused and his uneven breaths. To watch that beautiful turquoise eyes glazed in lust was all he wanted to see ever since he rescued the boy from the kidnapping.

Eren was an inexperienced in sex, no doubt it, and thinking of it only made Levi smile. The stupid brat first experiences will be his and his alone. The raven wiped Eren’s rosy full lips. They were a little red because Eren bit it too hard earlier but they were very soft to the touch and of course they were his to do whatever he pleased.

He lift Eren's chin and planted a chaste kiss on the boy's lips and they tasted delicious. Eren's natural scent drove his mind crazy and set his desire loose.

"You're fucking beautiful." he said just before he gave that plump lips another kiss, a bit forceful this time.

"Nghhh...Mmnn..." the boy beneath him started to moan in pleasure, responded to the kiss. Levi loved the wet lustful sound they were making. He circled his good arms around the boy's lean waist and Eren's body fit into his arms perfectly. Though the boy was taller than him, he was certainly thinner.

Levi felt Eren's hand touch his chest and traced the shape of his strong muscles while he was kissing the boy. Eren closed his eyes and keep tracing the line of Levi’s beautiful shaped muscles while he enjoyed the wet kiss inside his mouth.

"Ah...ah...Levi...Nngg...more…" he moaned and begged, feeling bothered by the fire that still burned inside him. He was starting to feel hot again. His breaths changed heavy and shallow while the pace quickened. He squirmed under the tight embrace, tried to close his legs and hold down his erection but Levi's hand snaked between his thighs and stroke his wet cock nice and slow.

With great effort, Eren pulled away from the hot kiss as he tried to fill his lungs with air. "Levi...wait... I never..."

"Shh… it’s okay. Trust me. You only need to feel me. Now open your legs."

"It's dirty. I have cum all over me."

"No it's not. Just open your legs, Eren."

Eren couldn't immediately comply because his legs were shaking and Levi started to rub his cock with slow massages.

"Ah! Ah...wait...I'm – “

"You're hard again. Good boy. Show me more of your dirty side Eren."

Levi stroked the brunet's hard on and fondled his wet balls gently, relaxing the tense muscles as Eren lost his strength completely. He moved to touch Eren’s hard cock and gently massage it.

"Ha...mnn...so good...ah..." Eren looked to the side and covered his burning face with one hand but Levi pull it away to see Eren's adorable face. The raven locked his hand up with one strong grip.

"I thought I told you to show me your dirty side Eren."

"But..."

Levi continue to caress his cock and balls. So young, so beautiful, so adorable. Eren trashed beneath him, moaning, gasping for breaths and clung to his body for his dear life.

His own erection was starting to throb painfully inside his pants and all he wanted to do was ripped their clothes and just let their skin touched each other, exchanging body heat as he pound into the boy to get a release.

Levi let his grip loosened and snaking his way down from that to erotic face, then to Eren's soft chest and abs, moving further to his lean waist and sharp hips, and finally to that delicious thigh.

He could feel his erection begging to get inside that warm tunnel so he hastily pulled his own pants down and tossed them away. He went back to embrace the boy and lifted Eren’s thigh up and gave it a taste. He licked and kissed the tanned skin and another moan escaped the boy's lips.

Levi watched the erotic view spoiled his eyes. The tan boy lay helpless beneath him with raging breath and massive hard on. Eren’s cock twitched and precum drip down to his pubic hair and made them sticky. Levi couldn’t tear his eyes away from that eager dick.

"Levi...don't stare."

"Why not? You're mine and I have every right to love your body." Those words sent shivers down his spine. He looked down and saw Levi’s fat dick was more than ready to fuck him. For a moment he felt scared to look at it because it was thick with visible veins here and there but then he wanted to know what it felt like to have it inside him. Just like that dream he had earlier, he wanted to feel Levi inside him.

Levi's hand moved down from the boy's lower stomach down to sticky pubic hair and the hardening shaft, to the trembling balls then finally to his ass hole.

"Levi..."

"Shh....just relax and feel me Eren, dont think of anything else."

Levi licked his own fingers and gave a gentle message to the rim with circling movement. He could feel Eren's breath rise as he kiss the boy's parted lips.

Eren gasped while feeling his mouth being ravaged by Levi's hot tongue. The boy was practically melted under that strong embrace and passionate kiss as he squirmed trying to get some sense into his head. Eren could feel his entrance being teased with the gentle strokes and slowly his mind become hazy as waves of pleasure wash his mind.

The muscles around the rim had started to relax so Levi push one finger inside and earn a small moan from the boy. He didn't looked like in pain so Levi moved his finger inside, tried to find Eren's sensitive spot. The boy quickly circled his hand around Levi's neck and deepened the kiss.

“More…” He muttered a demand to give him more so Levi inserted another finger inside. His finger massaged the rim of Eren's ass with gentle, slow strokes. It was soft to the touch and reacted every time he gave it a pressure. It twitched and clenched then relaxed and open a little bit wider to allow Levi's finger worked its way inside.

The raven could feel his own cock demand to get inside. The pressure was so hard that he started to doubt whether he could hold it in until Eren was relaxed enough to be fucked.  
He shoved his fingers deeper while watching Eren's mouth open slightly, screamed in silent. Arched back, chest rising, and fists clenched hard on the bed sheets until they turned white.

He knew Eren was in pain but it was also mixed with pleasure with the way his dick trembled in anticipation for a release. Third finger soon followed to enter the hot tunnel and teased the muscle inside. Eren yelp louder and he was panting hard.

"Fuck Aaah yes, there...give me more.. I want you Levi…Please mess me up."

The way Eren begged set his final control crumbled and he pull his fingers out. He was no better than Eren, the slit of his cock already wet with precum and he just couldn't take it any longer.

"Eren, look at me." Levi said while grabbed the brunet's thighs and held them high.

"Look at me and breathe." he said again before finally pressed the tip of his cock to penetrate Eren's entrance and slowly push it in.

"Aaah... Nggmnnn...aaah aaah…" Eren moan while his mind drowning in ecstasy.

Levi's only entered half of his dick because the way Eren clenched at him was amazing. It hurts so good. So fucking good and he wanted more of it. Levi pull it back a little before he ram it inside and make his dick fully sheathed inside with a loud smack sound.

"Aaaaaahh!!" Eren was screaming in pain. His inside burned and all of his muscles squeezing at the hot shaft. His stomach felt funny and there was a tingling sensation that sent shivers all over his body. He shut his eyes close with tears rolled down to his cheeks.

"Eren open your eyes. Look at me. You're not allowed to shut them." Levi ordered while the twitching muscles gripping at his cock. Eren's body tremble incessantly but he tried his best to open his eyes and look at the raven. Levi was breathing hard, sweat drip from his forehead, neck, chest and fall to Eren's skin. The sweat mixed with his cum on Eren’s stomach and Levi smear them together and brought his finger down to the the boy’s hard dick.

The look Levi gave him was like a beast, eyes glistened in lust, lit in animalistic desire, pierced through his soul and for the first time since their meeting Levi looked alive. His pale skin burned and move erotically when he push his cock inside even deeper and touched a spot that surprised him. Eren's breaths hitch as he tried to keep his conscious awake. He hold his breath, wiggling his hips to make the tip of Levi's cock touched that spot again and he got it.

"Aaaahh...ngghh...mmnnnn there..."

"Like that brat?"

"Yeah, I like it. I love it."

The way Eren moved his hips was an exotic view. The boy was moaning, panting, and begging for more friction inside of his ass. Goddamn him and his naturally lewd ass hole. Every time he moved, the walls clamp harder while massaging his shaft with just the perfect pressure. He was sure he couldn't hold out any longer if he stayed in place, he need to move, he wouldn't survive this any longer.

He pulled out his cock to ram it back inside and he couldn't help to release a satisfying sigh.

"Aaaahh Eren...Eren..."

Levi moved again, pounding at the boy as he enjoyed the wet slapping sound they were making. He lifted Eren's hips higher and ram his cock inside even harder until he could hear his balls slapping against his fiance's wet asshole. Dirty sound echoed in the room in unison with Erens loud moan and Levi’s breathy sighs while he pound his raw dick into the boy's hot tunnel over and over again.

"Fuck ah yes yes! Fuck me deeper Levi!"

Eren was lost in pleasure but Levi was no better. He couldn’t think of anything other than to spilled his load inside and do it again. He would give everything to ride between those thighs and make Eren cry while burying his face to the warmth of the boy’s chest and eat him alive.

Tension rose slowly and he felt his end was near so he flip Erens body around and got him on all four. The boy yelp in surprise as he felt the walls of his tunnel was scrapped against Levi's hard cock in twisting move. He almost cum again by that sudden movement.

"Fuck! Oh god!"

Levi breathed harder by now. He pulled his cock out until the tip was on the rim of Eren’s ass then shoved it back inside, balls deep until the root of his dick buried completely.

"Ugh..." the wave of pleasure was more than he could handle.

"Fucking hell" Levi muttered while gripping Eren’s hips harder and started to pound on the boy’s ass again and again. Between shots of pleasure he felt something burn on his shoulder blade but he chose to ignore it.

"Ah ah ah Levi Levi I’m gonna...ah please I want – “

Levi grabbed the boy's dick and started pumping it in sync with the pounding in his ass. He like the way his balls slapped Eren’s cheeks and made them bounces. The skin turned red and Eren’s hole looked sore but he couldn’t stop right now, not when Eren asked to be fucked harder.

He moved faster because his end was coming and Eren’s dick suddenly became incredibly tense in his hand.

"I’m cumming I’m cumming aaaahh!!"

"Fuckfuck Eren Eren Eren"

Both of them came at the same time and Levi move as fast as he could to empty his load into the wet hole while trying to filled oxygen into his lungs. Eren made a mess of his hands and spurting hot white cum all over the bed. Levi was running out of breath by the time he filled Eren’s stomach with his thick cum. His mind gone blank for a moment and his head pounded as he grit his teeth to stay awake.

Slowly he opened his eyes and watch Eren lie weak on the mattress. He lowered the boy’s hips and guided him gently to lie on top of the soft – now dirty – bed. Usually he'd mind the dirty sheets but not this time. Eren was a beautiful mess in his arms and he would like to savor the view a little longer. He lay beside Eren without pulling out.

"Get some sleep" he whispered to the boy and Eren hum in reply. The boys was fast asleep and Levi moved his hips a little, rocking Erens body in slow, gentle movement without waking him up. The Dark King still seek warmth inside that hot mess.

\-----


	11. Newborn and rebirth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birth of the tattoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> It's been 3 weeks since my last update and I'm so sorry for this late chapter.  
> I had rough weeks with all the audit in my office and things are finally settle down yesterday.
> 
> Thank you for all the kudos and comments!!  
> They always help me through the day and comfort me after a tiring day at work.  
> Guys you are the best!! Thank you thank you sooooo much for your great support!  
> Happy valentine! Happy Chinese new year! And happy reading!

When Levi woke up the sun has yet to show. He blinked twice and saw Eren's back right before his eyes. Eren’s skin glow under the gentle light that peeked through between curtains. He brought his fingers to caress it carefully as he tried not to wake Eren up. It was soft to the touch and it brought smile to his face as he remembered the lingering taste of his fiancé.

The image of Eren’s back arched beneath him burned in his mind. He traced the feeling of the soft skin with his finger as gentle as he could like holding a fragile glass; following the line of Eren’s spine. The boy moaned, half awake, but he didn’t fully wake up. Levi shifted a little to kiss Eren's left shoulder blade while inhaling his scent. Last night's soap fragrance was still there but he could smell Eren's natural scent too. He smelled like woods and grass, so earthlike, comforting and soothing. The familiar warmth spread in his heart.

He watched Eren's move slightly along with his tender breathing and he caught a glimpse of bloodstain on the bed sheets just below the boy’s right shoulder blade.

Did Eren get himself hurt when he fell off the horse yesterday? That didn’t seem to be the case because he remembered there was no wound when he embraced the boy last night.

He pushed the sheets down and a mark shaped in half wing was etched in Eren's shoulder blade. Levi stared at it wide eyes as he recognize the shape. It was the same shape as his disappearing half wing only it came out in brighter color than his own. He touched his left shoulder blade and the tip of his fingers felt something wet. He brought them to his eyes and it was quite surprising that they were damp with blood.

He rolled to the side of the bed, grabbed a hand mirror on top of the nightstand and positioned it well so that it reflected the wound on his back. As he thought, there was a fresh wound on his shoulder blade shaped in half wing.

When he looked at it closely, the shape is slightly different from the one he used to have. The line on the tattoo was more visible and the color was black, unlike back then. The one etched on Eren’s shoulder blade was colored in white. Everything was clear now. Eren was indeed his half wing mate. A smile grew on his lips. He savored this moment of silent as he put the hand mirror down and crawl back to the bed. He kissed Eren’s neck and whisper in such gentle voice that only he could hear.

“Your child is mine.” He said while kissing Eren’s neck again. Now it was clear who will carry their child but the young Eren might need some explaining and Hanji was the best person for it. Troublesome things would probably come in their way, especially when Eren was in heat, but they’ll make it.

Levi squirmed inside the blanket and tracing his fingers on Eren’s waist. It was so slender, soft, and very alluring. He got a strong urge to kiss it and leave hickies everywhere. He would’ve wait for Eren to wake up but the feast was too tempting to be left alone. A little kiss on the waist wouldn’t be a problem right?

He lowered his head and kissed the slender waist and gave it a gentle suck.

“Nghhh….” Eren moan unconsciously in his sleep, squirmed a little and then went back to his dream. Levi brought his finger down and poked at Eren’s abused entrance. It was still soft and wet with his cum. He suddenly got the urge to shove his dick inside again and just buried himself there in the comfortable warmth. His cock was already hard.

“I want to make love to you.” Levi whispered while aligning the head of the cock with the rim of Eren’s hole. He pushed it in gently and Eren moan louder this time. His dick slide in easily, thanks to his own cum, and he push it in further inside the twitching hole. He could feel Eren’s muscles tensing around his cock. It clamped down on him and Levi move just enough to push his whole shaft inside Eren’s hole.

Levi exhale in satisfaction as he hold Eren’s waist in place and slowly push his cock deeper into the tight wetness. Eren moaned again but he was still asleep. How defenseless. It made his desire to fuck the boy even bigger than before. He sniffed on Eren’s natural scent while listening to the little moans that sometimes escaped Eren’s lips. He pulled his cock out but careful enough to keep the tip inside then gently pushed it back in, balls deep into Eren’s ass.

It was such a chilly morning and he loved their lazy sex. He didn’t want to cum right away. He just wanted to be sheathed inside the comfortable warmth.

He pulled out again just a little this time and brought it inside again slowly and carefully. Levi closed his eyes and hug Eren’s waist from behind. He snuggled back to sleep and mumble something before his mind drifted to the dream world.

“Eren…marry me.”

\-----

 

The kettle whistled a long monotone sound but Levi stay still in his seat.

He kept watch it blew hot air while scream over and over again. The kitchen was quite far from the room where Eren’s rest so the boy won’t be awakened by the shrieking sound but he needed to turn off the fire either way, otherwise all of the water will vaporized into hot air.

Levi kept sitting in his place. His mind drifted off somewhere and the image of Eren’s body buckled beneath him last night flashed before his eyes. The scene from last night replayed and he couldn’t describe it with words about how good it felt. The sex was intense and Eren’s body looked sexy.

The whistle became louder and Levi’s dream bubble burst. He looked up and thought to himself that it was about time he turned it off, though he was supposed to do it minutes ago. He got up from his chair and removed the kettle from the stove and shut the fire off. He poured the water into a pot which he had prepared before and put the kettle away.

The sweet rose fragrance wafted in the air. He liked this tea and no one could prepare it better than he did. He put the pot on top of the tray with two cups lying on it and brought them out of the kitchen.

The house was cold. No one visited this mansion yet. Usually Erwin’s servant would come to clean the house thrice a week but not this time. Maybe they were just running late.

His bare feet touched the cold marble floor as he walked back to the room where Eren sleep. The boy was exhausted from their vigorous sex last night. Levi on the other hand had been a strong man from the beginning and that include his stamina to indulge in sexual activities for hours. He was the strongest rider after all.

When he reached the bedroom doorhe saw Eren sat on the bed. The boy looked somewhat in a dazed while staring at the half closed window with empty eyes. Eren’s cheeks were dusted in pink color and his tan skin radiated in after-sex-glow. His body was covered in hickies here and there and his wide turquoise eyes sparkled in thousands shades of blue and green. He didn’t realize Levi was coming in.

“How’s your body?” Levi asked as he walked closer to the bed. He put down the tray on top of the nightstand and climbed on the bed to stroke Eren’s red cheek. The boy was blushing on the sight of his half naked fiancé.

Eren brought up a smile and touched Levi’s hand that rested on his cheek. “I’m okay… My waist and butt hurt though.”

“I’m sure. Anywhere else is hurt?”

Eren shook his head and look at Levi again. “No… just a strange pain on my shoulder blade. It has been going on for sometimes now.”

“I take it you haven’t check your back?”

“My back?”

“Yeah, here. See for yourself.” Levi gave him the hand mirror and Eren pick it up. He brought it to look at his right shoulder blade and his eyes widen in shock when he saw what was in there.

“Wha – ? I’m bleeding?”

“Right, that too and – “ Levi picked up a wet warm towel from the nightstand and wipe Eren’s wound so that he could see clearly what’s really there.

“Ow!” Eren yelped in pain when Levi tried to wipe it as gentle as he could. Once finished, he put the towel back to the water basin.

“Look at it again.”

Eren lifted up the mirror and this time he looked genuinely surprise. Eyes wide in shock, mouth slightly open and his fingers started to tremble.

“No way…” he said in his high pitch voice.

“Yes Eren, it has been born. And mine is rebirth again. We have the same shape.”

Eren quickly check Levi’s back and the same shock expression splashed on his faced. His cheek burned in brighter pink color.

“Holy shit. I can’t believe this… You’re really my half wing mate…”

“Yeah, I told you right. And watch your mouth, Jaeger. If I heard you said it again I’m gonna shut it for good.”

“Fuck… holy crap… this is real…”

“Eren – “ Levi was about to shut Eren’s mouth but he was abruptly stopped when he saw the boy’s face. Happy tears hanging dangerously in Eren's eyes and seconds later they trickled down to his cheeks. It was the first time he saw such beautiful tears. It almost looked like droplets of turquoise jewel and that was the most dazzling thing he ever saw. Not even the real diamond could compare to the brilliant color of his fiancé’s tears. Such perfection truly existed and it was goddamn mesmerizing.

"I have a tattoo... We really shared the same tattoo..."

"Yeah brat."

"But how?"

"Fuck if I know. When I woke up this morning it’s already there."

"You're my mate... It’s...impossible... This isn’t a dream right?"

"No, not this time."

"This is really happening... I can’t believe it…"

Eren wiped the tears that rolled down on his cheek with the back of his hand. His smile was so beautiful that Levi couldn’t help but to kiss those lips. Eren’s lips feels warm and soft just like when he held the boy last night. The boy returned his kiss with light chuckled and broke it as he rested his forehead on Levi's.

“I’m so happy I could die... Shit it sounds sappy but that’s what I feel right now…” Eren chuckled again while his tears keep falling and Levi stroked his cheek gently. He gave a kiss to Eren’s cheek and look at his fiancé’s turquoise eyes.

"You haven’t answered me yet."

"Answer you?"

"Will you marry me?"

Eren stared at him with his too big eyes. There were thousand colors inside and Levi thought that he never saw something like that before anywhere. Under the sunlight and glazed with tears, those eyes were sparkling so bright like a precious gem. Not even Grisha have that eye color. They were so goddamn beautiful that he wanted to look at them for his whole entire life. He would never get bored of it.

Eren was still looking at him with his dumfounded face. It looked like the boy was having trouble processing what he said so he repeated it again.

“Yesterday I didn’t wait for your answer. I push my feelings on you and I forgot to count in your feelings too. I fucked up and made you hate me but… I still want you. I want you Eren.”

Levi held his breath while staring at his precious fiancé’s eyes. “Please bear my child.”

This time Eren have a big wide smile on his face and he forgot about the pain in his back instantly. He was about to scream his answer but his voice was muffled down by Hanji’s scream.

“FOUND YA LEVI! Holy crap you won’t believe what I found from Eren's blood. It was more than I can imagine and that potential?! Shit can you imagine what can he do with all of those powers?! All theories I have until today was completely wrong and you gotta believe when I said he was the rarest bloodline ever existed in this world! I would give my whole live researching for their blood and - oh shit you were in the middle of sex, weren’t ya?"

"Hanji I swear I'm gonna rip you to shreds and feed you to the dogs." Levi got up from his bed, looking pissed as hell. He stomped his feet on the floor and there were little cracks from where his feet stepped on.

He should’ve stop Hanji’s habit of teleporting into his room whenever she pleased before it’s too late but now it’s too fucking late. All he wanted to do now was to beat the crap out of the Necromancer and threw her out of the window.

"No no no wait! I was searching for you since last night because I got urgent news from Auruo."

"What the fuck is so important that you have to barge in into my bedroom?"

"West border has been breached by some titan dragons."

" – The hell?"

"There were some rare types among them. Our men were wiped out in a blink of an eye."

"Bullshit. These are border guards we're talking about here."

"I know and I was also surprised but these titans will reach the second layer of our shield within days."

"Fuck."

"I suggest we go back. Double time. You do have a Kingdom to run, y'know."

Levi contemplating in his mind of what to do without leaving Eren behind, but he knew that his kingdom needed him more than anything now. After all, he was supposed to go back to the Dark Realm weeks ago.

He turned to look at his fiancé and his huge puppy dog eyes. What a shame to leave him here now when he could savor all the bruises and hickies he left last night for the whole day but Hanji was right, he needed to run his kingdom.

"Sorry, we'll have to continue this another time."

"You're going back?"

"I have to. You were worried about Mikasa right? So stay here. I'll come back and pick you up once she's healed."

"You're leaving?"

"Just for few days brat, don’t give me that look."

"Will you really come back?"

Levi sigh, a heavy one. He knew that leaving Eren know won’t be easy. He just proposed to him after all but his people needed him now more than ever.

"I'm giving you some time to think about it. I'll...hear you out once I'm back."

"Levi..."

"Hanji, get him some clothes and bring him back to Erwin's castle. I'll head out first."

"Yes sir!" Hanji replied with her chipper voice and giggle on the sight of them naked, hickies all over the body, bed hair, messy clothes, and oh this was a good story to share with the Oracle.

"Wipe that shitty grin off your face, four eyes. Petra doesn’t need to know about any of this."

"Sure, whatever." and she giggle again when Levi turned around and went back to the bed. He kissed Eren deeper than ever, not actually want to leave.

"Nnghh..." the boy moaned. Levi kept on kissing him long enough until Eren could feel his arousal rise again. Wet noises filled up the room and Hanji couldn't stand it anymore. She turned her back on them and looked away to the ceiling to divert her mind but never close her ears. Juicy gossips must be shared after all.

"See you later brat." Levi said after few seconds later, leaving Eren breathless with dreamy look on that stupid face. Levi clicked his tongue. What a shame indeed that he has to leave now.

\-----

Its 5:30am in the morning and Eren was already up on his bed thinking to himself. He had stayed in Erwin’s castle for the three days now and Mikasa already awake from her slumber. She made a great recovery after gained her consciousness two days ago and now she was working on getting her strength back. Eren was happy to see her recovering so well but on the other side he missed Levi. He wanted to see Levi and speak to him again, kiss him, or maybe just be by his side but he was not sure whether he could leave his sister here now.

Mikasa probably strong enough to make a journey to the Dark Realm now or maybe he should just go there by himself. Eren buried his head between his arms which rested on his knees. He folded his legs until they touch his chest and stayed in that position for a minute until he heard a knock on his door.

“Come in.” he said without lifting his head to see who visited him so early in the morning.

“Hey Eren, you’re up.” his best friend Armin walked in and closed the door. Eren lifted his head and looked at the blond who was already dressed for the day.

“You too. And already looking so good early in the morning. Work?”

“Nope. Just thinking that maybe we can go somewhere today.”

“Where?”

Armin sat on the bed and looked at Eren with his serious expression.

“You’re not interested.” The blond guessed.

“Says who?”

“It’s written all over your face that you didn’t want to go anywhere but to see Levi.”

“Bullshit. I didn’t think that. Come on, we can go anywhere you want. Just tell me where.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I need a distraction too.”

“Okay then, get dressed and pack your bags. We’re leaving in an hour after breakfast.”

“Pack my bags? Are we staying out?”

“Yeah, probably for a long time. Erwin’s men already got all of our belongings from the cave to our destination yesterday and we should probably go now. You know, with Mikasa getting better and all.”

“Is she strong enough to make the trip?”

“She’s stronger than you think. Her recovery rate is quite impressive and she’ll make a comeback in no time.”

“If you say so… But why are we taking all of our belongings to – wherever we are heading to?”

“I told you because we’ll be there for a long time.”

“We’re moving? What about your job?”

“I’m thinking of finding a new one.”

“What? You’re quitting?”

“It’s been on my mind for few years and now is the best time to do it, I guess.”

“Hold it right there. We’re not going anywhere until you tell me why you are leaving.”

“I will tell you on the way okay. Now come on, dressed up and pack your bags. Mikasa is waiting for us at the dining room.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Yes you are. And you’re going to take a bath, packed up, and get down for breakfast because we are leaving _right now_.” Armin yanked the blanket and Eren yelp when he was thrown off the bed and rolled down to the floor. The blond laughed and got off the bed as well to help Eren get up from the floor.

“Come on Princess, we’ll get you dressed in no time.”

“Yes ma’am.” Eren answered lazily but laugh as well. He got up and rubbed his sore ass while walking toward the bathroom. He took a quick thorough bath then dried himself up and threw the towel somewhere in the room. He got out of the bathroom, put on a long sleeved shirt in light green color, dark brown capri pants and slipped on a brown cardigan without buttoning them up. Eren always liked earth colored clothes especially when it came out in simple style but Mikasa always nagged about how the cut made him look like brats. He didn’t care, of course. For all that he knew, he was comfortable in those clothes and he would not listen to a single word she said about it.

Once dressed he open his wardrobe and pulled out his clothes. He threw them away but this time he aimed for the bed. He didn’t know how long they stayed out so he would bring all the clothes that he had for this trip. His clothes weren’t much to begin with so it didn’t take him a long time to pack. Once all clothes and belongings were packed, he grabbed the bag and ran out of his room. He figured Armin would be in the dining room waiting for him with Mikasa so he dashed there in a hurry.

After he passed by a hall and another hall, he came to recognize a familiar door where the dining room located. He opened it without knocking and surprised when he found not only Armin and Mikasa inside but also Hanji and Erwin. They were sitting in silent and dark atmosphere dominated the room while none of them touched the food except for Hanji who just took a bite.

“Eren! Come here boy. We’ve been waiting for you to join us.” She said with her usual chipper voice. Mikasa looked at him and cock her head to the side as a signal for him to come closer. Eren stepped inside hesitantly and sat on the empty seat between Mikasa and Armin. Hanji and Erwin were sitting across the table. Eren put his bag down beside his chair and look away to Mikasa.

“How are you?”

“Been better I guess.”

“Right, of course. You knew our plan for today?”

“I knew but that’s not important.” She grabbed Eren’s hand in a strong grip and pierced her gaze toward her brother. “I heard you’re getting married to him.”

That was not a question, it was a statement and what Mikasa wanted to hear from him was something that he definitely couldn’t say. “Yeah…”

“Did he force you?”

“No he didn’t. I haven’t agreed to it.”

“Really? You haven’t agreed to his idea?”

“Well…yeah, he’s giving me some time to think it through.”

“You’re not going to say yes, aren’t you?”

Eren couldn’t answer her this time. He hasn’t sorted out his feelings for the raven yet and they haven’t got the time to discuss things further. He also wanted to talk about this to Mikasa but she knew it before Eren could tell her. It’s going to get though explaining things when she already disagreed beforehand.

“We’re not discussing this.”

“We are.”

“We’re not.”

“Why are you hiding things from me? I’m your sister.”

“But you weren’t ready to hear what I’m going to say so we’re not continuing.”

The grip on Eren’s hand become tighter to the point that it hurts so much but he let her. Mikasa was at the point where her blood boiled over jealousy toward Levi and this was not the first time it happened. She was always overprotective and hated a lot of people who got close to Eren, thinking that they approached him just to get his blood or took him away from her. It was a very natural thing to do actually, especially when all hunters in the world were after your ass, but it made it difficult for her to believe in someone new.

“You are going to say yes.” She said. Once again Mikasa were able to read his mind just by looking at him and it pissed him off. How the fuck did she knew when he didn’t even know the answer himself.

“I don’t know.”

“If you were going to say no, you wouldn’t agree to this trip.”

“This trip? Okay, that’s it. Someone tell me something about where the fuck are we going right now or I won’t move an inch from this chair.”

“We’re going to the Dark Realm, Eren.” Armin answered.

“Dark Realm? Really?” Eren’s expression instantly turned bright.

“You haven’t told him?” Mikasa asked the blond and Armin shook his head.

“No I haven’t. I thought that I could give him a surprise to cheer him up.”

“So you didn’t know?” Mikasa asked Eren this time and the brunet shook his head. Her grip loosened and her hand dropped to her lap.

“You really haven’t thought about agreeing to his proposal…”

“No I haven’t. I was gonna talked about it to you first Mikasa.”

“I see…. Sorry, I just went and assumed things.”

“Don’t be. I understand.” Eren hold Mikasa’s hand and pat her head. “You’re just thinking about my safety after all.”

Mikasa nod and a smile pasted in her lips. Eren felt a bit relieve now that Mikasa has calm down. After all it is hard to talk to her if she already disagreed with him. But now was not the time to talk.

From the corner of his eyes he noticed that Erwin still wore that dark expression as he started to eat in silent. Eren looked away to Hanji and notice that she was looking at him too. Her smile grew bigger as he swift her stare to Mikasa, Armin, and then back to Eren.

“So everyone’s good? Shall we go?”

“Eren eat your breakfast, we’re leaving once you’re done.” Mikasa said to him and Eren nod. He picked up a bread and a maid poured the soup to his plate. They smell delicious and he realized that he was hungry. He ate in silent while still staring at Erwin who already put his spoon down. Erwin lifted his head up and stare at Armin. Their eyes met and an uncomfortable silent once again filled the room.

“You won’t change your mind Armin?”

“No your majesty, I won’t.”

“I don’t understand. You’ve been working here for years.”

“It’s…my own decision. I have made my choice.”

“Is it because of my wedding?”

A loud clanking sound suddenly broke the silent atmosphere and everyone was surprised. Eren’s spoon dropped on his plate and made the soup splattered everywhere on the table. His mouth gapped open and his big crystal clear eyes stared wide at Erwin. He tried to put words into his mouth but the shock was too great that he ended up staring at the ruler of Wind Kingdom.

After few seconds of silence later and he was finally able to find his voice. “You’re getting married?”

“Yes I am, Eren.” the king replied with his low voice.

No wonder Armin wanted to leave this country. Erwin has finally decided to marry Mike and that must’ve been hurt for Armin. Back then Erwin said that he wasn’t going to get married with his half wing mate. Nobody knew the reason why. With that situation in hand Eren guessed that Armin had a chance with the king but today everything was different and he would’ve done the same if Levi should ever marry someone else right before his eyes.

Eren peeked at his blond friend from the corner of his eyes and saw him clenching his fist so hard that the knuckle turned white. Armin bit his lower lip and he was hiding his expression under his bangs.

“Eren, can we just go now?” Armin pleaded with his small voice. Eren quickly snapped out of his reverie and looked away from his friend

“Yeah sure.” He said in a hurry, gulp down the water and wiped his mouth clean with a napkin. He pushed the chair and grabbed his bag. Mikasa, Armin, and Hanji followed suit.

“Are we ready?” Hanji asked again and Eren nod.

“Yeah, let’s go. We’re flying there?”

“Nope, not this time. We’re going to ask for Dimensional Wizard’s help to teleport us to the Dark Realm.”

“Dimensional Wizard?”

“Yep, they are rare wizards that can teleport anything even to another dimension. I figured that the distance between Dark Realm and Wind Realm was quite far so we’re asking for her help instead of flying there. She’ll teleport us and we’ll be there within seconds.”

“Why don’t you teleport us there?”

“I can’t kiddo. My teleportation magic limited to certain miles while dimensional wizard didn’t. You’ll be amazed at what they can do.” Hanji replied while winking to the brunet.

Erwin got up from his seat and walk around the table to follow them. His eyes only look at Armin and they were dimmed from sadness.

“Armin – “ He said in his low voice but Armin cut it before he could continue to say anything.

“Thank you for all of your kindness, your majesty. We will visit you again sometime.” And with that Armin dragged Mikasa and Eren out of the dining room in a hurry. He didn’t want to look back. He didn’t want to hear Erwin’s voice anymore. All he wanted to do was to get away from here as far as he could go.

\-----


	12. An Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One distance away to hear his answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> It's been forever since my last update and I am so sorry about that.  
> My job has been very demanding the last few weeks and I couldn't find the time to wrote anything.  
> I miss you guys sooooo much :"(  
> Every day i found myself wanting to write but the job always takes priority X"(  
> Thank you, thank you so much for the kudos and comments.  
> They are the thing that keep me going everyday :"D  
> I hope you like this chapter as well so happy reading!

When Eren first stepped into the village it was nothing but black. It was completely different from the Wind Realm that offered so much sunlight, smiles, soothing winds, shimmering trees, and cheerful lives. The Dark Realm was a total opposite of Erwin’s country where everything was covered in bright atmosphere.

Dark skies, cold marble floor, scary statues and sculptures, one could piss in their pants and ran back home if they couldn’t handle the heavy air but not Eren. He was always the curious one and this Realm was far more unique than any other country he ever visited.

Through his journey, Eren already encountered several villages and countries but none of them had a powerful impact on him like this one. Beauty, power and mystery combined into one and he could feast his eyes on them just on the first look of the city. It was magnificent and he couldn’t help but to stare them in awe.

“Our country is not as beautiful as Erwin’s but we hope you’ll enjoy your stay here. We won’t blame you if you want to get out of here later though. It’s only natural.” Hanji said after she landed her feet on the cold dark marble floor.

Eren shook his head. “I like this country. I feel an overwhelming power ran through the entire city. It’s coming from the center of the town. What is this?”

“Ah I forgot that your eyes can see hidden magic. Yeah, our country was by far the strongest country amongst the other. And the cause of it…well, you’ll have to see it with your own eyes. Wanna come?”

“You bet I am. C’mon guys.” Eren pulled Mikasa and Armin hands without even asking whether they want to come or not. Both of them just followed along because they’re also curious, especially Armin. The sweet blond’s eyes sparkled on the sight of the town before him. It was indeed nothing like the Wind Realm but he could sense a powerful magic surround the city.

The citizen also looked very different from where he used to live. Here, most of them looked wary and sharp. Only few of them that didn’t had that tense look. They were merchants, scholars, or visitors from another country. Most people here were on standby mode with armors on their bodies and swords on their hands.

“Are you surprise to see how different we look compare to the people in Wind Realm?” Hanji asked the blond. She noticed how Armin kept watch on his surrounding, especially the citizen.

“Yes. It almost looks like you’re preparing for a war.”

“You could say that. Our defenses are in danger right now. We have dispatched the best Spell Howlers and Warlocks in the country to engage in battle but we’re still struggling.”

“Is it serious?”

“Not sure. Probably not but we need to be careful. You kids have nothing to worry about.” She said with a smile on her face, trying to assure them that there was nothing wrong but Armin thought otherwise. He tried to analyze the situation and information while walking down the center of the city. His mind told him that the situation maybe not as safe as she said to be but he chose not to talk about it right now. He might be overthinking things.

“There it is. The center of the power you felt earlier.” Hanji pointed her finger to one place and Eren gasp out loud. Never in his life he saw something as scary and weird as this one but it was real. There was a hand trapped between the hard transparent floor and it was guarded with small pillars around it. The hand was huge, bigger than 5 meters class dragons. In fact it was the size of 15 meters dragons.

Beneath the transparent floor, Eren could see the statue of a woman. She has a beautiful face but her expression froze in anger. Her entire body was surrounded by some kind of barrier except for the hand that emerged out of the surface. What was this statue anyway? How could it emanate such huge power that ran through the entire city?

“In case you were wondering, this woman is no statue. She was the Goddess of Destruction that brought war upon us humans thousand years ago.”

“She’s alive?”

“Yes, she’s alive even as we speak. Kings from all kingdoms united their powers to put her down but it was not enough to kill her. They only managed to petrify her body but not her power so The King of the Dark Realm, Levi’s grandfather, sacrificed his own kingdom as a container to lock her forever…and this is the result.”

“Is that why Dark Dragon Rider have more power than the other races?” Armin’s curiosity piqued Hanji’s interest. This boy was indeed clever. No wonder Erwin liked him so much.

She smiled while looking at the frozen goddess below the transparent floor. Her empty eyes reflected so much anger on one particular direction and the power above her hand was sparkling in dark light. It happened so many years ago but the pain she inflicted to the Dark Race lingered to this day.

“Yes. The Dark Dragon Riders become more powerful with the help of this endless magic she casted upon us. However, every coin has two sides and we were not only bestowed by the power. Dark Dragon Riders and their descendants were also cursed with the thirst of eating one’s soul. Be it animal or human, it doesn’t matter. They craved for souls as their food. They are also cursed with immortal life, unless someone beheaded them.”

Eren’s eyes grew wide as he heard it. Levi also told him the same story but he never thought that Dark Rider’s cursed came from such creature. Moreover they’re living in the same place as the frozen goddess. They would be constantly reminded on the pain of the eternal living and what caused it.

“Holy crap. That was some serious shit.” Eren blurted out spontaneously.

“Eren, watch your language.” Mikasa warned but Eren didn’t hear her. Hanji chuckled to see them but her smile soon disappeared when she saw a man coming in closer. The man in light brown hair had a worry expression on his face while gripping hard to his sheathed sword that bound to his waist.

“Moblit, how is it going?” Hanji asked to the brown haired man called Moblit.

He stood straight in front of her still with that worry expression. Moblit shook his head.

“It’s not good. They need you there.” He answered and Hanji sighed.

“I see. Then I’ll go there right now. Can you take them to the castle?”

“Sure, no problem.”

“Thanks. You’re in charge now. Keep them safe.”

“Wait. Are you going to Levi’s place?” Eren’s question stopped Hanji from going. She looked at his cute face adorned with that beautiful turquoise eyes that Levi always fond of. Somehow she kind of expected this to happen which was weird because Levi also expected the same.

“Good guess. Yeah I am kiddo.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Nope, you’re not.”

“Why not? I can help you guys.”

“Sorry Eren, not this time. I would’ve let you come with me in the usual situation but Levi told me not to let you come.”

“He told you that? How did he know that I want to come with you?”

“Beats me. He said something like you’re gonna be careless and I should never let you go outside of the city while we’re still under attack.”

“I’m coming with you. I can take care of myself.”

“Sorry Eren, not this time. I’m serious. I told you that we already dispatched the best soldiers we have but it’s still not enough.”

“So take me with you! I don’t wanna sit here doing nothing while you and Levi are dying out there!”

“My Prince, I appreciated the thoughts but we can’t risk losing you.”

“I don’t want to lose you guys too! Do you have any idea how it feels to see your family murdered in front of your eyes while you just sit down and do nothing? I don’t wanna be left behind anymore!”

Hanji blew a heavy sigh as she lifted her hand to rub her forehead. A few seconds of silent surrounded them. None of them spoke but Hanji could see that Eren wouldn’t change his mind to come along no matter what she said. Her fingers slipped down as she rub her chin and stare at the hotheaded lad.

“Okay, how about this: You can come with me but you must answer the question I got for you. Depends on your answer, I may let you come or not. How’s that?”

“Why?”

“It’s important.”

“Fine. As long as you don’t ask me something weird.”

“Good. Now…. You got your half wing tattoo right? I didn’t get a good look of it at Erwin’s mannor.”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“What color is yours?”

“Huh?”

“What color, Eren?”

“I don’t know, it was bright, almost white. Why?”

“Damn. Sorry kiddo, you can’t come with me.”

“What?! Why?! I don’t get it.”

“White wing tattoo bearer is a little unique compare to black tattoo bearer. They have the natural ability to carry a child even in male body. But that’s not what I’m worry about. Few days after a rider’s tattoo color has been determined he or she will have the urge to….”

“To?”

“To breed.”

“What the fuck?”

“Simply put, you’re gonna want someone to have sex with you until the urge subsides. You’ll exude pheromone and it’ll affect the people around you.”

 “No way.”

“It’s true. I think that’s why Levi didn’t want you to come. That midget should’ve told me that this was the case rather than beating around the bush.”

“But…”

“Sorry Eren, no more buts. I gotta go now. You can do whatever you like in the castle just don’t come to the North Border, okay?” Hanji tapped Eren’s shoulder and ran to the city gate, leaving him behind. Once she was at the gate, her outfit quickly changed into Dark Armor as he hopped on her broom and flew.

Eren could do nothing but watch her tall figure eventually disappeared from sight. He longed to see Levi again. And knowing that the raven would face danger while he sat around and do nothing bothered his mind. He bit his lips and stared at his feet. If only he gave his answer a bit sooner maybe his heart would feel at ease right now.

He looked at Mikasa who stare at the city gate, watching Hanji disappeared from her sight.

“Mikasa….” Eren called and Mikasa looked away to his direction.

“Yeah?”

“I’m gonna give him my answer.”

\-----

It’s been years since he last visited the dungeon but he didn’t remember that it would be this hot. Dungeons’ temperatures in Dark Realm were never hot and it was strange to find one like this. The sweat that dripped from his forehead slowly trickled down to his temple. He felt disgusted by the way his clothes and armor stuck to his skin with rotten odor dominated the hall. The raven tried to ignore the nauseating feeling for the past hours because he needed to get to the end of the dungeon quick and finished his business here.

As reported, the invasions which tear down the Dark Realm’s border were carried out by a large group of wild Titan Dragon. Usually they were no threat for the guards but this time a powerful berserk spell was casted upon them and so their powers were doubled. Their physical resistances were not improved but thanks to the berserk spell, these dragons completely ignored the pain they felt. In other words they have become a war tool for whoever controlled them.

After days of fighting to defend the border, Levi received a report of yet another invasion inside a dungeon. Usually he never worried about intruders inside a dungeon because the beasts and monsters inside were far too dangerous for anyone to survive. But this time, those beasts and monsters were killed by something larger or more powerful than they were so Levi led his best soldiers personally to investigate the situation.

Well, he intend to brought his best men but they got their hands full to defend the borders so he could only brought Hanji with him. Hanji was powerful indeed but she was noisy and annoying as hell.

“So~ I get it that you want him to stay behind but he’s still a man, not to mention he’s a rider too.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“He might catch up to us y’know.”

“He won’t if he doesn’t know where we are.”

“Well I doubt that. Armin is by their side after all.”

“The blond kid may be smart but this is still a dungeon. It’ll be hard to track us down here unless someone in the border told them.”

“You’re underestimating them.”

“I’m not. And shut up Hanji, you’re distracting me.”

“You’re the one who called for my help.”

“I need your magic not you.”

“Why thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment to my skill.”

Levi clicked his tongue out of annoyance. The Necromancer sometimes just didn’t get it when sarcasm thrown at her. She was a very capable fighter and her magic certainly useful in a field full of deadly monsters but there were times when Levi just wanted to kick her ass.

They passed by another empty hall full of dead bodies with burn wounds all over their ripped skins and bones. Not that it makes them anymore scary because originally these monsters already shaped in skeleton but it was still weird that they were burned with black fire instead of the usual red fire. None of the fire magic has this color unless it was a creature born from the fire itself. That was what worried him the most.

If there was a fire-type monster that infiltrated the Dark Realm then there were intruders went by unnoticed by the guards. The uneasy feeling grew stronger in his heart as he passed by another burned skeleton.

“Did you see this Hanji?” He asked rather carefully while lowering his voice trying to be discreet.

“Yeah. Black fire. Not good.”

“No shit.”

“Do you think it’s still inside?”

“Yeah. Get your weapon ready.”

“Got it.” Hanji nodded and drew her staff to cast a spell. She chanted some verses onto the ground and soon those dead monsters’ body started to shook. They tried to stand with their wobbly arms and feet.

Some of the buried monsters also crawled out of the ground to heed on her order. Skeletal fingers held tight onto their swords. They woke up from the dead to answer her calling, ready to fight for her. Hanji’s special skill as Necromancer was definitely one of the kind and her strength has been a very powerful asset for the Dark Realm. Her only problem was that she annoyed the shit out of Levi.

Levi took a peek from the corner of his eyes and felt incredibly confident with the army behind him. He drew both of the Blood Swords and gripped them tight while stepping deeper into the dungeon.

“Don’t die on me, Levi.” She teased him.

“Fuck you.” He retorted.

Both of them walked further into the dungeon and the deeper they stepped in the hotter it became. It was like standing on hell’s pit. The heat was really painful to the skin like the fire itself has licked his body. Another meters later they heard a loud monstrous scream that shook the entire room. Small cracks appear on the walls and ceilings. Dust started to fall upon them along with small debris.

They heard another scream followed by a deafening roar and the sound of something broken before everything went silent. Both Levi and Hanji looked at each other and tighten their grip on their weapons. They instantly knew what they were about to deal with.

When they passed the last door that led to the end of the dungeon, they found Ifrit standing with it’s back facing them. Beneath his feet was Echidna, the half-woman half-snake monster who lived in this dungeon for years. It seemed that Echidna lost the duel with Ifrit, the King of Fire, whose power was no match for her. Echidna’s corpse was burned by the black fire and in mere seconds her body turned into ashes. All that was left of her was the snake skins that splattered all over the floor covered in blood.

Levi pierced his eyes on the strong creature that stood in front of him. Fiery hair, sharp nails, long deadly horns, strong muscles, extremely hot body temperature, and huge sharp teeth, Ifrit was definitely a monster to be feared. It was born from the depth of Hell’s fire and known as a powerful enemy amongst Fire Race. This thing shouldn’t exist in the Dark Realm but it managed to slip through inside somehow.

 

Ifrit turned it’s head and look at Levi over it’s shoulder. The giant eyes brought horror to most humans but not Levi. He bravely stepped forward while pointing his sword to Ifrit’s face.

“How the fuck did you get in here?”

Ifrit growled and turned his body around to face the human who dared to spoke to him.

“ _Leave, Mortal. This place is mine now_.” It replied with his monstrous voice, so deep and so dark, laced with hatred and anger.

“Not so fast fuckface. You think you can just take something because you want it? What a simpleton.”

“ _How dare you mock me_!”

“Oh did I hurt your feeling? How about I hurt you some more.”

“ _The likes of you can’t hurt me_! _I’ll make you regret those words, puny human_!”

Ifrit’s wrath could no longer be contained as he jumped through the high ceiling and slammed his fist onto the ground with magnificent power. Levi jumped into the air and his feet landed on the wall. The ground shook and the hard concrete floor destroyed. Pieces of the stone floor flew into random directions and hitting whatever they met. Hanji has already casted a protection spell on herself.

Levi kicked his feet to strike at the beast. He spun his body very fast, creating saw like movement with both of his Blood swords and sliced one of it’s horn. Ifrit roared in pain as it held it’s bleeding horn. The broken horn fell beside Hanji with a loud thud, almost hit her barrier.

“Jeez Levi, be careful will ya.” She said.

Levi landed gracefully on the broken floor with one knee and both swords in hand. He got up and pointed his sword on Ifrit painful face, ignoring Hanji’s protest.

“I’ll say it one more time. Get your dirty ass out of my kingdom.”

A loud angry roar was the answer Levi got. It’s mouth wide open as a ball of black fire started to accumulate on top of it and ifrit shot it full force at the Dark King. Levi jumped as high as he could and landed quite far from the angry beast.

“Levi, I don’t think you need my help to finish – “

“Send them in! Don’t underestimate this shit!” Levi cut Hanji’s word. She shrugged and her staff glowed in dark light.

“As you wish then.”

Hundreds of dead skeletons that she brought back to life attacked the huge beast in unison. They stabbed, bit, hit, and even slammed their own bodies to weaken Ifrit. Even though their attacks were not fully planned or coordinated, they could at least weaken the big guy.

Ifrit swung his fist and easily destroyed some skeletons. Then it grabbed another one and burned them to crisp. The fiery beast roared impatiently while trying to chase away the inferior creatures that attacked its body. Another roar was released as the fire in it’s body burst into every directions and burned them alive. Within seconds those skeletons were turned to ashes and all that was left were Hanji and Levi.

The Dark King wasted no time after the fire went out and spin his sword to release spinning wind blades which laced with dark poisonous mist. Those blades stroked at lightning speed and cut Ifrit’s body while interlocking themselves like a bracelet to every part of the body they touched. They spun while cutting the opponent’s flesh with every rotation, over and over again until Ifrit set his entire body on fire and those blades returned to mist. Ifrit was bleeding badly by now. The poison that sipped inside Ifrit’s body didn’t do much damage though.

No opponent stood against this attack but ifrits has certain immunity against poison. It was not his weakness. Levi clicked his tongue and dashed forward to attack it. He jumped midair and strike down, aiming at it’s head but Ifrit was faster. It shot a black fire at his direction and some of them almost hit him. Hanji casted a barrier on time and Levi managed to avoid that eternal fire.

He fell onto the floor, back first but then he rolled over to get up and landed smoothly on his strong feet. Levi’s right hand armor was burned by the black fire so he must get rid of it before it consumed more parts of the suit and armor.

“Not bad.” He said before he ran forward and attacked the beast again.

Hanji summoned dark soldiers from the underground to help him defeat the gigantic fiery creature. She wanted to summon Cerberus but the dog was blood thirst. She sometimes could not controll it due to the nature of a Hellish creature which always craved for some fresh meat. She could control it only for few minutes before it went berserk and she was not sure that Ifrit could be defeated less than few minutes.

If they have white magician with an ability to cast ice magic then defeating Ifrit would be possible.

Levi battle against the beast furiously, he slashed, beat, stroke at it’s fatal points but Ifrit was just too much for one person to handle. Suddenly an arrow flew their way and landed right on it’s left eye. Ifrit shout a painful scream, worse than when Levi’s wind blade hit it repeatedly.

Hanji watched the arrow glow in silver light. It was laced in some kind of magic but she couldn’t determine what magic that was. After Ifrit’s scream got louder Hanji realized that the arrow was laced in Blizzara, a powerful ice magic that certainly could hurt the eyes of a fiery beast. The ice would spread and stuck and blinded the angry monster because it’s element was the exact opposite.

She turned to look at the archer and found Eren held a bow while relaxing his muscles after he threw that one fatal blow. Armin and Mikasa were on his side too. Mikasa drew her swords and ran toward the blind monster to help Levi.

“Eren?” asked Hanji to the young man.

“I told you I’m not going to sit back and do nothing.” The brunet answered with strong determination in his eyes as he drew another arrow from the quiver. He positioned it in the bowstring and pulled it further back while focusing his beautiful turquoise eyes on Ifrit’s eye. Armin chanted a spell and the arrow soon covered by an active Blizzara magic and Eren release it. The arrow went straight to the beast’s eye but it didn’t manage to land because Ifrit ward it off on the way.

“Shit!” Eren cursed.

He shoved the bow in a hurry to Armin and drew his sword while dashing forward to slash Ifrit's left Achilles. The huge monster roared in pain when it’s Achilles was cut. Mikasa then slashed it’s right Achilles and the huge beast stumbled back into the wall and fell on his knees.

Levi saw that opportunity to kill it so he collected his strength and focused it on his swords. The tattoo on his arms glowed with dark light which soon turned into mists and it circled the Blood Swords completely, changing it shape into spiked swords and doubled it’s width. Levi gripped the hilt tightly as he plunged at the weakened beast and slashed it’s neck with one quick blow.

It’s roar was never heard.

The neck has been cut off from the body and they huge head fall to the hard concrete with a loud thud while bleeding furiously. Everyone was silence for a moment. They observed the situation at hand.

The fire that protected Ifrit soon turned dim and eventually it died, signaling that the beast has lost it’s life. Levi got up on his feet and kicked the head. The size his swords returned to normal and he sheathed them back.

The blood overflow from the torn up neck wetted the floor. Levi took few steps backward carefully so that it won’t touch his shoes.

“Fucking disgusting.”

He turned around and focused his eyes on what he saw earlier. Eren, the boy that he tried to kept save by warded him off of the area and yet he still came to this dangerous dungeon. He noticed that the boy trembled from all the sensation. It seemed that this was the first fight he ever had with such a huge monster.

Eren knees felt weak from all the horror. He gathered his strength and tried to stand straight but his legs were still limp. He staggered backward instead and his back bumped the cold wall. He blew a heavy sigh as if he hadn't breathe the whole time and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. His fingers trembled incessantly and he no longer able to held his own sword. It fell onto the floor and clattered noisily in the silent hall.

Levi walked closer to the shaking boy and slammed his hand beside Eren, trapping the boy in the corner. Eren flinched in surprise to hear the loud voice and he slowly opened his eyes to find his fiancé eyes glared at him. Levi looked angry.

"What do you think you're doing here shitty brat?"

"I'm helping you."

"I thought my orders were clear: You are not to bring your ass here."

"I don't want to stay there alone."

"Didn't Hanji told you the reason why you shouldn’t fucking come?"

“She did.”

“Then why the fuck are you here?!”

“I don’t want to lose you! I won’t sit down, waiting for you to come back, and found out that you’re dead on the battlefield!”

“Did you underestimate my power shitty brat?”

“No! But I am free to choose and I choose to be here!”

“What makes you think I’ll be happy to see you here?”

“Because I owe you an answer!”

Levi’s anger suddenly died down. For a moment there he felt fear crept up his spine and squeezed his guts until it shrunk in the size of a nut.

He was never one to surrender to fear but this boy made him realized that he did have a fear deep inside. Was Eren about to reject him?

“Levi, I owe you an answer.”

“I’ll hear it after we get back.” Levi tried to stall. At his own surprised he was not ready to hear it.

“No, I need you to hear it now. This is why I chose to come here. I…” Eren hesitated for a moment and he continued as his cheek went redder than before.

“I want your family’s name to mine.”

Truth be told, Levi was not ready for any kinds of answer because they got off on a bad start but those words certainly made his heart beat so fast. His hand that leaned on the wall trembled from happiness. He didn’t even realize that he was holding his breath until his chest hurt.

“Fuck.” He muttered while leaning forward to kiss Eren’s plump lips. He broke the kiss and tilted his head to the opposite direction and connected their lips again. He was nervous and he didn’t know why. All that he knew was that he never felt so happy before. This emotion was alien for him. He kept pinning the boy while ravaging Eren’s mouth with his tongue.

“Ngghh…mmnn..” Eren moaned in delight.

He surrendered himself to that powerful force which devoured him inside. His legs almost gave up but Levi’s other hand had wrapped itself around his waist to support his standing. They parted their lips when only when they had already ran out of air.

“Do you really mean that?” Levi asked just to be sure that he didn’t mishear everything.

“Yeah…I do…” Eren’s answer was nothing more than a soft whisper but Levi could hear it clearly. The raven curled up his lips into a smile and kiss the boy again, tenderly this time.

_Fucking perfect_.

\-----

Their journey back was supposed to be an easy one but they encountered what they fear the most. Eren’s heat cycle has begun.

After they got out of the dungeon and ride on their dragons to returned, Eren’s body started to emitted pheromone. The white wing bearer’s first heat cycle was the most dangerous one because he couldn’t control it. Eren writhed in pain, his body temperature rose, and the strong pheromone exuded out of control. Armin, Mikasa, and Hanji must cast a magic barrier to kept their sanity intact but it was too strong. Levi’s mind was also greatly influenced by this so he ordered everyone to stay away from the boy. They hurriedly landed and told everyone to stay away while he brought the boy somewhere out of sight.

Levi borrowed Hanji’s bottled barrier magic to be casted once he found a safer place for them. He was not sure that he would be in the right mind to cast a barrier so he opted for a barrier that could be casted without a controller. The magic would be slightly weaker but it could still prevent Eren’s pheromone to spread wider.

As composed as he tried to be, Levi couldn't control his desire anymore. As if he was possessed by the lustful demon he craved for Eren's body more than ever. The brat exuded a very strong and alluring pheromone and it provoked every nerve in his body to ravished Eren hard and merciless.

Levi stopped walking and quickly broke the bottle. The mist poured from the bottle slowly formed a barrier, surrounding them completely while Levi tear his own clothes.

“Levi, Levi, fuck me, fuck me, fuck me.” Eren begged and cried for his lover to fuck his body. He couldn’t stand it any longer.

Levi was also impatient. He kissed the boy again and again, each with the intention to devour those delicious pink lips. Eren had a hard time to breathe but he couldn't resist that rough kiss as he fell deeper into his own carnal desire.

"Ngh...hah...mmmnn..." loud moans escaped his throat as he brought his arms around Levi's neck to pull his fiancé even closer.

"Shit, you horny fuck." Levi said in a hurry as he kissed the boy again. He couldn't get enough of Eren. The brat’s clothes were in the way and Levi felt the need to get them off right now. He grabbed Eren's clothes and tear them away, revealing the most enticing body he ever saw. He continued to rip the clothes until there were none left on his lover’s body.

Eren was definitely intoxicating. Those half lidded eyes, raging breaths, chest rose up and down, sweaty tan skin, and that leaking-precum-cock made blood rushed through his head as he couldn't restrain his lust for the boy anymore. With one swift movement he opened the button of his pants and unzipped his fly. His cock was hard and throbbing, begging to enter that twitching tight hole this instant.

He grabbed Eren's hip and pull them closer to his hips while aligning his cock to the rim of that hot tunnel.

"I'm coming in."

"Give it to me."

Levi thrust his cock and it slide in slowly as he pushed with all the strength he got. Eren was deliciously tight. He licked his own lips to savor the addicting taste of his fiancé.

"Ah Yes! Yes! More, deeper...aah Levi!" Eren drowned in pleasure as he covered his face with one hand and the other clawed at the grass.

Levi's cock inside him was incredibly hot and big. It was twitching every second, teased his very sensitive inner walls. He tighten his hole while massaging that burning dick, tried to get a better feel of the shape to brought pleasure to his body. He could feel the naked skin against skin inside. Suddenly he was surprised when something hotter than Levi's cock filled him up.

"Fuck!" Levi cursed without moving as he bowed his head down.

Eren gasped when that hot liquid sprayed inside him more, burning the already sensitive veins. He couldn't stand it anymore, he wanted to cum right now.

"I'm gonna ah ah!" his own precum leaked and some dropped on top of his stomach but Levi grabbed his shaft and hold the slit so that he wouldn't come.

"No no Levi, let me go, let me cum!"

"Not yet, I'm gonna move now."

"Wha – AH!"

The hardened shaft inside him didn't shrink even after Levi cummed. It was still big and twitching and moving in and out of his abused wet hole. Eren’s lover moved his hips back just to thrust it in deeper and harder. Each thrust brought him pleasure, madness, hunger, and they drove him crazy with the need to cum.

Eren moaned louder and louder, begging for a release. The boy closed his eyes and feel his consciousness slipped away. His vision started to go blank but every cell inside his body enjoyed the hard thrust in his ass.

"Levi let me cum, let me cum!"

"Fuck fuck!"

Levi shot his sperm inside Eren yet again while increasing the pace of each thrust as his mind and vision went white. Eren came at the same time, moaning louder as he panted uncontrollably. His inside felt numb and wet. The grip around his waist got tighter just before the pleasure heightened and they finally returned to their senses few seconds later.

Levi dropped his head on top of Eren's stomach as he kissed the boy’s belly. He could already hear his unborn child inside Eren’s belly.

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> None of the images are mine.  
> Dark Realm's Goddess of Destruction is from Lineage 2 mmorpg.  
> While Ifrit is from Final Fantasy VIII.


	13. Bare feet angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wedding party and drunk dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> It's been so long and i'm so happy to be here again!  
> I can't believe I received so many kudos and comments here XD  
> Thank you so much! You guys are the best!
> 
> I've finally able to slip some time to write again as my work is getting thinner lately.  
> I'm so glad I got out from those hellish days.  
> The project is nearly finished and in a matter of weeks I'll return to my normal job yaaaay!  
> Oh sorry, i blabbered too much about work :p  
> We will soon reach the end of this fic. it'll be just few chapters away and i'm hoping that i can finish it on time.  
> Thank you so much for reading, commenting and leaving kudos for this fic.  
> You are all the greatest source of happiness for me :D  
> Happy reading!

The bright sunlight showered the perfect weather. Armin was already up hours ago and now he was sitting in front of a mirror that reflected his lean image. He was never the muscular type and never had problems with his body shape before but now he wanted to build up some muscles just to change his own image. Or he could trim his long hair for a fresh look.

He brushed his blond hair while looking intently at his blue eyes. They were different from Eren’s eyes which were blessed with beautiful turquoise color. To him those blue eyes seemed a little dull but someone said that they reflected the desire for freedom. That man also said that Armin’s blue eyes reminded him of the vast blue sky. Armin was so happy when he heard that.

Now everything was different. He stared at those blue eyes again and remembered those words like it was told yesterday but he didn’t feel the same. He didn’t feel happy. He was sad because the one person who said that would soon marry another man.

How ironic. He should’ve never felt this way but when he looked at his own reflection all he could remember was Erwin and his gentle smile. He should’ve never fallen for the King. Erwin was beyond his reach.

He looked down and stared at his lap. A droplet fall onto his thigh and wetted his pure white trousers. Erwin’s image appeared in his mind again when he closed his eyes. He wondered how many times has these happened, him crying alone like this after he learnt about the news. Erwin would no longer be his king, he would become someone else’s mate.

Another droplet fell and he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He should forget about Erwin. Now was not the time to cry and he didn’t want anyone to see him like this, especially Eren and Mikasa. But his tears were hard to control as they kept rolled down to his cheek. Armin wiped it again in vain.

A sudden knock was heard. The person behind it tapped the door gently twice. He rubbed his eyes in panic and looked around to find handkerchief. He found none lying around so he resorted to wipe the remaining tears with his sleeves. It was disgusting to see his snot and tears on it but this is an emergency. The knock was heard again followed by a voice he knew so well.

“Armin?”

Armin hurriedly rubbed his eyes harder and patted his cheeks twice to chase away the sadness. He told himself that everything was going to be alright and clear his throat to answer Mikasa at the door.

“Yes, come in.”

Mikasa opened the door and peeked inside before she stepped in.

“Not ready yet?” she asked.

“Sorry, I’ll get ready now. Is Eren ready?”

Mikasa shrugged her shoulder. “I don’t know, haven’t got the chance to sneak up on his room. There were guards in front of his door thanks to that midget.”

“Levi just wanted to keep Eren safe.”

“Yeah, I know but I hate him. That midget kissed Eren in front of me.”

Armin chuckled and get up from the chair. “They are engaged, you know.”

“I know… Eren is happy with him but… I still hate that bastard.”

“We should pray for Eren’s happiness.”

“I am.”

“And Levi’s happiness too.”

“….”

Armin chuckled again. He shook his head as he walked to the wardrobe. There were dozens of beautiful sets of robe in it and he pulled out a simple green robe, a matching gloves and shoes. He got them from Erwin last year as a gift. They were soft to the touch but each thread was chanted with defense rune. The light robe served as a powerful armor against strong enemies and has saved him many times from death. He was thankful for this gift but it hurt him to remember how he got it.

“He’s not a bad person, just someone who’s…not good at expressing himself.” Armin continued.

“I know that but…I can’t help to feel jealous… I’m afraid that Eren will love him more than us.”

He walked over to his bed and sat there while tossing the robe on top of the mattress. The blond patted the mattress for Mikasa to sit. She sighed then dragged her feet to the bed and sat beside him.

“Your scarf looks clean.” Armin said.

Mikasa pulled her scarf up to cover her lips.

“Yeah…I washed it carefully for today.”

“Eren gave it to you when we were so small, and you treasured it until today.”

“It’s important.”

“It is. Queen Carla made it for him as a birthday gift. She was not one for sewing or knitting but she made it either way because she wanted to be a mother for Eren, not just a Queen and ruler for her country. And Eren gave that important scarf to you.” Armin saw Mikasa’s eyes started to brim with tears. She was trying hard to hold them in.

Armin reached his pocket and fished out a key. “He also gave me this key. He asked me to guard it safely because it’s important. A lot of people still trying to get their way into the Crystal Realm for the remaining treasure and this key can open the dimension gate through there.”

Mikasa looked at the golden key in Armin’s hand without words.

“He trusts us more than just friends. He considers us as family and even more. He love us Mikasa. A different kind of love from what he has for Levi but much deeper than any other love that human can find. That is our value to him and his value to us. You and Eren are a part of me that I can never be separated from and I’m sure he feels the same.”

Mikasa bowed her head down until her bangs covered her face. Armin saw tears rolled down to her cheek. He pocketed the key away and leaned to Mikasa. Their shoulders and head bumped to each other’s.

“You have us and we have you. That will never change.” Armin smiled as he closed his eyes and waited for her to cry her heart out. Her sob was very soft. It was barely heard but Armin could hear it anyway.

After a few minutes her sob slowly reduced into silence. Both of them kept quiet until Mikasa blew a heavy sigh. She lean her head to Armin’s even further and smile.

“You’re right. Eren will never change the way he felt about us.”

“He won’t. He may be a Prince but he needs us to take care of him in a way that Levi could never do.”

This time Mikasa chuckled too. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Mikasa sat straight and Armin followed. She gave a simple warm smile to the blond.

“Thank you…for reminding me.”

“You’re welcome.” He replied with a big smile on his lips.

Mikasa stood from the bed and look at the blond again. “Come on, we have a wedding to attend.”

“Yes ma’am.” Armin laughed and got up on his feet.

Mikasa was about to walked out of the room but she stopped halfway and turned around.

“I forgot something.”

“What?”

“Hanji asked you to come to her room before we go down.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Us, precisely.”

“Us? What does she want?”

“I’m not sure either. Let’s just go there and find out.”

“Sure.”

Armin put down his robe, gloves, and shoes on the bed then followed Mikasa to Hanji’s room. They wondered what the Necromancer wanted.

\-----

Eren stood in front of the window, staring nervously at the gathering crowd that started to grow bigger by the seconds. He squeezed his hands and chewed his lower lip to distract his mind but it was no use. He was still nervous. He sighed for the hundred times he could count.

Today was the ceremony that marked his new life with Levi. It finally happened after years of waiting. He was more than ready for it to happen but too bad that his parents couldn’t be here to see this happened. He missed his mother. He also missed his father.

What kind of smile would they give him if they were here right now? The gentle kind? The happy kind? Or the warm kind? Would they shed tears upon seeing him leave with his fiancé? He would never know because they would never come back to his life.

Eren closed his eyes to recall his parents face. All of the family paintings burned when the war happened so all he got was his own memories of what his parents looked like. He imagined them smile and patted his head like the little boy he was. His furious heartbeat calmed down in seconds.

His mother would kiss him on the cheek and his father would pat his head gently. They would hug him tight just before he went to the aisles while whispering words of love to their only child.

“I’ll get going now Mom, Dad.” Eren mumbled and opened his eyes.

He turned around and walked toward the door. He lowered his gaze until the only thing he could see was the sparkling white marble floor that escorted his way to the throne. He inhale long and then blew them in one go before he brought his hand to the door handle. He pushed it down and pulled the door open.

Armin and Mikasa were the first persons he saw standing behind the door. Their eyes widen for a second and then they smiled at him. A very very warm smile that it surprised him. Eren never saw them smile like this. They looked so different.

Mikasa’s cheeks were adorned in pink color that went so well with her pale skin. She wore a golden sleeveless dress that went all the way to the floor. Her red scarf never left her neck. A belt made of pearl beads circled around her waist. She wore elbow-length-gloves in white color paired with silky white shoes that made her looked so beautiful. Mikasa looked girly.

She was smiling like an innocent little girl, something that Eren never saw again ever since their kingdom fell. But now, here it was, that adorable innocent smile finally there again and it was so nostalgic.

Armin also had pink color on his cheeks but they were brighter than Mikasa. Eren almost thought that Armin might have a fever but with his bright smile and cheery attitude made him thought otherwise. He wore a long sleeves robe with some accessories on his body. He was a magician so the robe fit him perfectly.

Eren thought that Armin was already pretty to begin with and the additional accessories made him even more beautiful. Dotted earrings, silver amulet and charmed rings, Eren knew they were not just accessories. They were also part of the armor that enhanced the user’s skills but they looked lovely on him.

“Wow Eren, you look….different.” Armin stepped closer to him.

“That goes to you both, not me.”

“No seriously, you look stunning. Isn’t that right, Mikasa?”

She nodded while hiding her lips behind that red scarf.

“Eren…are you sure you’re going to marry him?” she asked and Eren rolled his eyes.

“Mikasa – “

“Sorry, don’t answer that. I was just…checking.”

“I’m positive. So can you walk me there? You too Armin.” Eren grabbed both Armin and Mikasa arms then dragged them away.

Armin giggled to himself and patted Eren’s hand. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Mikasa smiled beneath that scarf while hugging to Eren’s arm tightly. “Thank you for asking.”

“No prob.” He answered.

The distance between Eren’s room and the church was not that far. They only need to walk for a few minutes to reach there. Each step that they took was so precious because this was the moment that he has been waiting for so long. He was safe, Mikasa and Armin were by his side and he was about to meet Levi who waited for him patiently at the church.

His smile grew wide and he lean his head to Mikasa’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, worried that her brother wasn’t feeling well.

“Nothing.” Eren replied.

Mikasa patted his head gently while still holding on to his hand.

They walked further and further to reach that huge double door. Now they were standing behind it as silent fall between them.

This was it, Eren’s first step to the new life. His heart beat slowly risen as he squeezed Mikasa’s arm tighter. It wasn’t like he was going into battle but he struggled to move his legs forward.

“Nervous?” Armin asked.

“A little.”

“You’ll be fine. Ready?” Armin held his hand tighter and the guards opened the door for them.

 The church was huge. A lot of people who sat there turned their bodies around at the same time. They were looking at him with the same expression Armin and Mikasa had earlier.

They looked somewhat surprised because of something. Some of them blushed while others were just stoned.

They stepped in carefully. Eren saw Hanji waved at him with her big smile. She looked as ecstatic as always. Petra was there too. She blushed all the way to her ear. Well that was unbelievable because Petra’s skin was a bit transparent but she managed to bring out the rosy color on her cheek. Eren wondered what made her like that.

He saw Jean, the talented blacksmith from the Fire Realm sat across Petra. Eren never knew him but his reputation has exceeded the man himself. Eren thought that the famous blacksmith’s face looked like a horse.

The man sat next to Jean had an entirely different image. He had a black hair, freckled face and a very kind smile on his lips. They seemed close to each other. Too bad an angel like him stuck with someone like horsey-faced-Jean.

Maybe he should say hi to them once the ceremony was over. After all, he needed a powerful weapon to fight alongside Levi later.

Eren scanned the rest of the guest quickly because there weren’t much familiar faces and finally he came across Levi who stood at the end of the room.

There he was, standing in front of the altar, waiting for his other half wing destiny to reach him. He stared at Eren with disbelieve look that it made the boy questioned himself. Was there something weird about him that made Levi looked so stunned like that?

Eren never realized how beautiful he was. He wore a pure white long sleeves robe complete with pure white hood that hid half of his head. The robe was threaded with silk and gold that complement the already cute Prince. The wrist-length-gloves covered his beautiful long fingers and his silky chestnut hair looked soft. There were dusts of pink shade on Eren’s cheeks and Levi could swear he had never seen someone as cute as the boy. Hanji did a good job to doll him up. He would give her credit this time.

When they finally reached the altar, Armin gave away Eren’s hand for Levi to take. The Dark King took it carefully as if it was made of fragile glass.

“Fuck, Eren.”

“What? Do I look weird?”

“No. No…you’re …shit… You’re okay.” That wasn’t exactly what Levi wanted to say but he was out of words. And he actually blushed! Armin couldn’t believe it. The cold man, the strongest rider that mankind ever known showed his weakness and even blush for Eren. He was beyond help.

Armin and Mikasa stepped down from the altar. They sat on the empty chair behind them and watched the couple exchanged shy glances. Armin entertained himself with the thought of this couple’s silly interaction in the future. Eren could be such a dense idiot sometimes and Levi just couldn’t express himself well. When they have a fight how would they fixed it? The childish Eren might test Levi’s patience one day.

What would their child look like? Would it look like Eren or Levi? Or maybe their child would have a bit of them both. Would he call him uncle and auntie for Mikasa? He peeked at Mikasa who sat across him. She had those teary eyes again as she watched the couple. The tears were on the verge of flowing down like a waterfall but she did a good job in holding it in. It must be hard to watch the happiness of her own brother with another man that she…was not quite compatible with.

The priest started to read few sentences to the couple and the church turned very quiet. Armin was still busy with his own thought when suddenly a deep voice spoke to him.

“Excuse me, may I sit here?”

Armin jumped back to reality and scurried to the side to give the man some space.

“Sure. Sorry I was daydreaming.”

“About me?” This time Armin felt like he knew the voice so well and looked up to see who it was. The man sat beside him was none other than Erwin, King of the wind Realm, his crush.

“My Lord.”

“Please just call me Erwin. I’m no longer your King.”

“You’re still a King.”

“I’m…not fit to be a King.”

"Why's that?"

"Because…I failed him and myself."

_Him_. Was Erwin talking about Mike?

"Pardon me for asking but is this about your fiancé? You're getting married with your half wing mate, what could possibly go wrong?"

Erwin stared to the altar with empty eyes. He watched the happy couple shared glances and happiness. Rosy atmosphere filled the air and he never felt so jealous before. Both Levi and Eren hold the one thing he couldn't get, the freedom to love each other. They breathed each other's air, their heart beat for the other and their blood flow inside another's vein. They stared at each other so passionately. They were meant to be one.

"Everything." Erwin finally said and left Armin to wonder. Just _what_ and _who_ was the King referred to?

"My Lord - "

"Just Erwin, please."

"...Erwin. You’re a strong leader but sometimes decision required sacrifice. But what doesn't? I mean, I don't believe that you're doing the wrong thing by taking the right choice."

"I don't know about that anymore. I once believe that too but looking at Levi right now made me think that I'm doing the wrong thing."

" Levi? You’re opposing his marriage?"

"No, on the contrary I support them and jealous of them. My ugly heart is screaming. I can never do what Levi did."

"Saving his fiancé and marrying him?"

"No, but the part where he defy the wish of Dark Realm's Elders and High Council to marry Eren."

That was something Armin didn’t expect. He frowned.

"What?"

"Levi didn't tell anyone about this but his marriage was opposed by the Elders and High Council. When he stayed at my castle – just after we saved Eren from abduction – Levi received words from a messenger. He brought a message from the High Council that demanded him to go home and leave Eren. He refused to do that and went to make love to Eren instead."

"But why? Aren't they happy to see their King reunited with his fiancé?"

"No they're not. Because Levi's immortality will be gone once he met his other half."

“But at that time they didn’t know if Eren was indeed his mate. Even Eren himself didn’t know that he was Levi’s destined mate. How can they be so sure?”

“Before rescuing Eren, Petra foresaw the birth of a child, one that was born from a white wing bearer in the Dark Realm. Her dream became clearer by the day and the elders found out about this. When words had spread out about Eren’s return, they wanted to prevent that dream to come true so they told him to go home. But you know what happen after that.”

The story stunned Armin. He never thought that Levi has gone through hardships like that without anyone else knew except Erwin. Maybe Hanji also knew about it.

"Levi was the strongest Rider ever born in the Dark Realm and his immortality is what makes the kingdom so feared. With powerful and immortal king, who would've dared to defy them? No man will give those gifts away just for a boy. But he did, just for Eren. I could never do that..."

“You mean, defying the elder to be with the one you love?”

Erwin smiled to himself. A sad one. “Yes, I can’t do that. I have a duty to bear an heir.”

Armin looked away from the King and gulped a big lump down his throat. Erwin sounded like he was in love with someone else. It couldn’t be. He and Mike were so close. They hid nothing from each other. Mike could read Erwin like he was made of glass, so transparent without being able to hide anything. Their bond got deeper by the day so it just impossible that Erwin fell for another person.

"I’m…I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you’re saying." The blond squeezed his hands together.

They got sweaty as cold sweat run down to his spine. He was afraid to hear any more of this story. He was about to give up. He didn’t want to hang on to the thin threads of hope.

Erwin peeked from the corner of his eyes then shifted to the front again.

“Sorry. I was blabbering.” And once again they were left with silent accompanied with Mikasa’s sobbing voice.

\-----

The wedding party was held in the garden at nighttime. Everyone gathered there from the cook, servants, royal guests and even the town’s folk, they all drowned themselves in the music and drinks. Levi didn’t particularly like the noise but Eren enjoyed himself so much so he let it off. Beside it’s not too bad if he could watch Eren’s hips swayed energetically on the dance floor. It was like the first time he saw Eren dancing. He moved passionately while exposing his perfect legs.

Eren threw his shoes away and dragged Armin to the dance floor. Armin protested but Eren pulled him anyway. He danced while holding on to Armin’s hands, trying to make him move the way he did. Eren swayed his waist and wiggled his butt seductively to the audience with his eyes fixed on Levi. Fucking brat.

Armin was embarrassed to be the center of attention but Eren didn’t let him returned to his seat. With one swift movement he snatched Armin’s shoes and threw them as far as he could. His blond friend tried to get it back but Eren pulled him and persuade him to keep on dancing. Armin finally gave up and tried to follow Eren’s lead.

He almost couldn’t keep up with the hyperactive prince but he must learn how to do it anyway or he would embarrass himself even more. Armin awkwardly tried to follow the rhythm and Eren’s seductive movements. He stumbled a few times and Eren helped him up. The brunet laughed happily and Armin couldn’t help to burst in laughter as well.

_Oh fuck it_ , he thought, then he started to move whichever way his body wanted. He grabbed a glass of beer and brought it down the throat in one go. He slammed the glass on the table and the room started to spin.

“Yeah!!” Eren shout happily as he pulled the dizzy Armin back to the dance floor. They were drowned in pleasure with music banging in their ears as they swayed their hips in unison. The prince and his best friend giggled and laughed while dancing even harder.

Eren peeked at his husband who sat in the corner. With half lidded eyes that filled with lust, he locked his gaze to Levi and licked his lips, wetting them slowly. He silently mouthed a few words.

“ _Fuck me…_ ”

“Shit” Levi’s got up from his seat and walk to the drunken prince. He yanked Eren’s hand away from the dance floor.

“You fucking ask for it.” Levi said and they stormed out of the room.

Armin wanted to stop Levi from stealing his dancing partner but he couldn’t stand straight anymore. He dragged his wobbly legs to follow Eren but he tripped himself and the room suddenly moved rapidly. He almost fell, face first to the floor, but Erwin managed to catch him on time. Armin dangled in his arm like a rag doll. Apparently he had lost his conscious.

Erwin bowed down a little then brought Armin’s feet up to carry him like a princes. Armin didn’t wake up at all. He was dead drunk over a glass of beer. What a lightweight.

“Let’s get you somewhere quiet.”

\-----


	14. A night to remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first and the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!   
> It's been quite some time since the last update and I'm glad i can post it this week, whew!  
> Thank you sooooo much for the kudos and comments.  
> You guys are simply marvelous!! I LOVE YOU XD  
> *hugs and kisses for you cute readers* XD
> 
> This short chapter will be about Erwin and Armin. They have some things to settle first so here we are.  
> Riren story will return on the next chapter along with the main plot.   
> Their wheel of fate will start turning as they are closing in to the end.
> 
> Thank you so much for your support and happy reading!

The cold wind felt like ice on his cheek. They caressed his head softly while he was breathing flowery scent in his sleep. He snuggled inside the blanket. What a comfortable bed. He was glad he got them clean up this morning before he went to the wedding. Wait…he didn’t clean up anything this morning and his room certainly didn’t smell like flower. In fact he never put any flower in his room.

His conscious forced him to wake from his dream. Armin lazily blinked his eyes and rubbed them with the back of his palm. He tried to focus his vision. It took him a few minutes to clear his mind and woke up completely.

He was lying in a bed – that was for sure – but whose bed? He didn’t recognize the white fluffy blanket and soft sheet. He also didn’t recognize the carved wooden bed roof. And he certainly didn’t recognize the man sleeping beside him.

Oh wait, Armin recognized him. It was Erwin, the king of Wind Realm, sleeping next to him with his angelic face and soft breathing.

Erwin…it has been a long time since he take a good look at the man’s face. He was handsome as always, strong jaw, perfect lips, perfect eyebrows (though Eren used to make fun of them) and beautiful face. Erwin didn’t changed one bit since the first time they met – well except that he was a prince back then, not a king.

The first time he worked at the Wind Castle as a servant was nothing but pain. Hard labor every day, physical abuse and everything. Those nightmares changed when Erwin recognized his talent for magic. He nurtured Armin’s gift and honed it into a powerful weapon, one that his royal advisors afraid of. After all, Armin was able to use second class fire and ice magic in the age of ten.

Day after day Armin spent his time to helped Erwin built strategies and won battles. He was proud to serve for Erwin but eventually his adoration turned into something else.

Armin had to admit that he was no better than Eren. Both of them adored and fell in love with someone that was completely out of reach, except that Eren finally got himself a happy end.

Erwin was strong, handsome, charming, kind and very attentive toward his people. A lot of women willingly opened their legs to get into his bed but he was not the least bit interested with them. The only thing on the king’s mind was always about his people and his kingdom, nothing else.

Erwin was hard on his subordinate except for Armin. He always treated the boy differently and it often sparked jealousy amongst his staff. Armin never understood why the king treated him that way and it has never been a problem until he realized that he was actually in love with Erwin.

Love, how heavy that word was to him. Erwin was everyone’s king. He belonged to his people. Armin knew very well that the king will never be truly his. Erwin would never harbor any feelings for him because there was no space left in the king’s heart.

Several years ago, when Mike came and announced that he was Erwin’s half wing mate, he knew that he should gave up. He knew…yet he couldn’t exactly let Erwin go until the wedding plan was out in public. Everything went downhill from there and he couldn’t hold the pain any longer. He wanted to escape. He has to escape. He wanted to forget and restart everything, away from Erwin and his old life but things didn’t go as he planned.

Erwin came to the wedding party this morning with his blue military uniform. The color matched Erwin’s eyes and Armin would be lying if he said that his heart didn’t skip a beat. The king looked gorgeous but his eyes were sad.

The words that Armin heard from the king today left a lot of questions. Questions he didn’t want to know the answer. He hated to assume things or held onto false hope.

Armin bit his lips while watching Erwin breathing peacefully. The king looked younger with his hair down, covering his forehead. In his sleepy mind Armin imagined that Erwin was his.

He tugged his hand out of the blanket and reached out slowly to the king. Erwin slept like a log so a little touch shouldn’t woke him up. He held his breath while gently caressing that golden hair in feather like touches. He breathe out in relieve when Erwin didn’t woke up. Erwin’s hair was so smooth – silky smooth. It was better than how he imagined it would be and he was in awe.

He traced his fingers down the line of that golden hair. So silky, so soft, what a sensation. He stroked them again while feeling his heartbeat started to rise. He was actually happy. Never once in his life he dreamt that he could touch Erwin’s hair like this.

“Mmh…” Armin gasped and reflexively retracted his hand when he heard the king mumble.  

The king didn’t woke up. He just mumbled and squirmed then returned to his sleep. Maybe he had a dream. What kind of dream was it? His face looked so calmed. Probably just a dream about his fiancé and family, nothing about him of course.

Armin felt his heart drop. He knew that he shouldn’t feel this way over a dream but he couldn’t control his emotion. Maybe it’s the beer. Maybe because he was still tipsy. He didn’t know.

He sighed, pushed the blanket away then got up. He sat on the bed and turned his body around. He has his back facing Erwin because he didn’t have the guts to look at him anymore.

Armin looked down and realized that he was not wearing his robe. He wore a white plain shirt which size was way too big for him. It hung loose on his body all the way down to his thigh. He didn’t wear any pants or _underpants_. Damn, what happened? First he was in someone’s room and now he wore someone else’s shirt. He would never drink again.

His head throbbed and his mouth felt dry. The room was too quiet for him. Being alone with his mind was not good. He would start to think about petty details that hurt him, details and memories that he would like to get rid of. Memories about the king.

What should he do? He liked the king so much and being this close with Erwin only make him hoped for more. Was there nothing he could do to make Erwin his? Should he really gave him up?

Tears gathered in his eyes, threatening to rolled down and wet his shirt. He clenched his fist and grip the sheets so hard until he could feel his nails biting his palm. He closed his eyes and told himself over and over again to forget about Erwin. He was a king who was expected to carry out his duty _at whatever cost_. Armin had no future with him.

A teardrop fell on his lap and he started to sobs. He bit his lips to hold down his voice but small whimpers escaped anyway. Another teardrop fell and another one until they become a stream of unstoppable flow. He couldn’t contain his feeling any longer. He needed to get out of here.

“Why are you crying?”

A deep baritone voice caught Armin off guard. He quickly wiped his tears. He didn’t want the king to see him like this.

“I – I’m just drunk.”

“You are drunk but that doesn’t explain why you’re crying.”

“It’s nothing. I should leave. I should go back to my room because it’s la – “

“Stay here.” Erwin reached out and hold Armin’s hand. The boy choked on his voice. His eyes widen in horror as he felt the warmth of Erwin’s fingertips sipped through his hand. The pain in his heart just got worse when he realized that he couldn’t gave up on Erwin. One touch from the king has made his resolution waver.

No. This couldn’t happen. Nothing good would come out of this. He must let him go.

“No…No I can’t stay.”

“Armin, look at me.” Erwin’s gentle hold turned into a sharp grip. The king didn’t have any intention to let him leave.

_Oh god, please don’t do this to me_. He prayed in his heart.

Erwin pulled Armin’s shoulder to face him. The boy’s face was puffy. Tears wetted his cheek and they turned pink because he rubbed them too hard.

There was no shirt on the king’s body. He was sleeping half naked. His gorgeous abs, pectorals, biceps and broad shoulder were flaunt when the bed sheets slipped away from his body and pooled around his waist. The king looked so tempting.

“Tell me the reason you’re crying.”

“It doesn’t matter. Leave me alone.”

“Why do you wish to stay away from me?”

“I didn’t. I just need sometime alone.”

“Didn’t you have enough time alone when you were away from me?”

“That was different.”

“It wasn’t. Stay here.” Erwin lifted Armin’s chin up with his long forefinger but the boy quickly looked away. He didn’t want to expose his feeling to this man. He didn’t want to fall harder than he already has.

“You won’t look at me in the eyes.” Erwin said with dejected voice.

Armin’s throat felt dry upon hearing that desperate voice. He gulped down what was remained of his saliva and kept his gaze away from the king. There was an uncomfortable silence between them. The room was too quiet that he was afraid his heartbeat might be heard.

He turned around and stand up to leave the room but Erwin caught his hand and pulled him back to the bed. Armin stumbled down in the mattress.

“Let me go! I don’t ever want to see your face again!” Armin screamed and hit Erwin’s chest.

“Armin…” The king caught his hand and kissed the trembling fist.

“No no no please let me go. I’m begging you…” Armin desperately asked as his hand was kissed again.

“Please stay here.”

“No no I shouldn’t be here, in this room, in this bed, _with you_.”

“Why?”

“I’ll hurt Mike and I’ll hurt you. I’m hurting myself even more. I’m a coward, I want to run away. You’re not mine.”

“Is that what you think? That I belong to Mike?”

“Yes! You belong to him! You belong toyour people! You are doing the right thing by marrying your half wing and – and bear a child and _I have no right to be here_!”

“I’m in love with you.”

Armin gasped so loud that he could hear his voice echoed in the next room. The silence after that was deafening as he stared wide eye to the man. He felt sharp pain stabbed his heart again like a knife has been plunged in and dragged through his skin to leave wide scar. His eyes stung and tears rolled down on his cheeks again.

“No…No this is wrong. This is so wrong! Don’t say that! You should’ve never said that!”

“Why? Because I’m a King? Because I have a duty to fulfilled to my people? It doesn’t change the fact that I love you.”

“Because I can’t! I’m not allowed to say the same thing to you! Why are you so selfish?! What do you want me to do?! I can’t do anything even if you told me that!”

“Yes, I am a very _selfish man_ but I want you… You don’t need to do or tell me anything. I just want to make love to you tonight… ”

“My lord…” Armin cried uncontrollably by now. His heart throbbed with dull pain and it felt unbearable. But he wanted the man too. He longed to touch the king. He longed to be loved by the king.

“Call me Erwin.” Erwin moved closer to the boy. The sheets that were pooled around his waist didn’t follow and Armin almost jumped at the new sight. He corrected what he saw earlier. Erwin was not half-naked, he was _stark_ naked.

Armin quickly shut his eyes and looked away but the king cupped his cheek and pulled his face to look at him.

“Erwin…I – “

“You don’t need to answer my feeling. Just let me love you. Just once and I’ll be out of your life, _forever_.”

Armin let the strong man embraced him. the king hugged him so tight as if he was afraid that the boy might run away again. Armin had such a small waist. The king could feel him tremble in his arms yet he couldn’t let him go.

He kissed Armin’s ear, hair and eyes, gently at first. He kissed them over and over again until the boy’s sobs were reduced to nothing at all. His breathing became steady as he lost his strength in the king’s arms.

Armin was fragile yet so pure. Erwin never had the guts to make the boy his but everything changed ever since Armin left. Not a day passed by without him thinking about the boy. Not one second passed without him regretting the choice he made for choosing his country over Armin. Not one breath wasted away without him thinking that it was Armin who could make him feel alive.

Before his wedding begun he had to come and see Armin again for the last time. He would make Armin understand that he loved him. Then for the _first_ and the _last time_ he would make love to the boy that he loved for years.

It was selfish – yes – but he knew no other way out of this. Tonight, he would throw away his position and duty to be with the boy. He would be an ordinary man who was in love. He would make a night to remember and treasure this memory until he die, even at the cost of Armin hating him.

Erwin pulled away and watched Armin’s eyes brimmed with tears. He kissed Armin’s forehead and cheek then finally kissed his trembling lips. Armin tasted sweet yet salty. The king’s mouth watered by the delicious tasted in his tongue. Pleasure mixed with tears. Both of them could feel their chest rose up and down at the same time. They were in perfect unison.

Armin’s breaths got heavier when they were laced with lust and so did Erwin. The king’s kiss became fiercer as his tongue slipped inside Armin’s mouth. He growled as his body demanded more of the boy’s lips. He got greedy as moans escaped Armin’s cute lips.

He never knew that he had such a wild desire but he could give two shits about that right now. He wanted Armin for himself. He didn’t care about anything anymore. Just one night and he would walk away from Armin’s life.

Erwin hugged the boy and pinned him down to the bed to devour him. He had wanted to do this for so long and now he finally get it.

He hungrily kissed Armin’s mouth, plunged his tongue inside even further and dance in unison with the boy. He tasted so sweet. So young and sweet. He brought Armin’s hands up and locked them there while his mouth busy kissing those lips.

“I love you. I love you. I love you.” He whispered those words over and over again like a spell. He wanted Armin to believe that.

“Erwin…” said the boy between his heavy breaths and moans.

The king slowly unbutton Armin’s shirt to reveal the boy’s pale skin. Erwin kissed his neck then trace it down to he chest. They were pale yet the thundering heartbeat was clear as day. He could feel the heat rising from his back and slowly make its way down to his cock. He craved for Armin’s body.

He brought his hand to Armin’s back and stroked it all the way down to the boy’s butt cheeks. He squeezed them and Armin gasped in surprise.

“Wait – “

“Are you scared?”

“A little…”

“Don’t be. Just trust me.”

Armin circled his arms around the man’s neck as if he clung for dear his life. Erwin licked two fingers and slipped them between the cheeks. With gentle pressure he inserted one finger inside. The boy beneath him gasped again and his body shook even harder. It was too soon – yes – but the king couldn’t hold it in any longer. He wanted to feel Armin’s inside even deeper.

The boy’s asshole was unexpectedly soft and slippery, as if he was ready for Erwin’s cock. He massaged it for a few seconds and inserted another one when he heard Armin breathed out in pleasure.

“Ah…Mmmnn… Erwin” the boy pleaded for more pleasure and Erwin smile. The sight before him was beautiful. Pale skin covered in sweat as the chest rise up and down. He kissed the neck again and bit it to mark his possession. Wet sounds filled the room as he kissed Armin’s chest and suck it until it turned red. Then he kissed Armin’s pink nipple and suck it hard.

“Mmnn…oh god…”

The twitching asshole squeezed his fingers as they stroke in and out in rhythm. Slick sounds that came out of the boy’s ass made were sexy as hell and he could feel his cock hardened. He was hungry and ready to ram inside. The head of his cock leaked precum and he almost went crazy for holding himself back. He needed to be inside now.

“Let me enter you...” he whispered to the boy who was lost in pleasure. The king was not sure that Armin heard him because he didn’t respond. The boy’s cock was no different than his own. It was hard and leaking precum. It was so cute.

Armin cupped Erwin’s face with both hands and smile. He heard the king’s request.

“Fuck me”

Those words made all restrains that Erwin had left thrown out of the window. He pulled his fingers out and replaced it with his cock. He shoved it in gently because Armin was too tight.

“Ah wait slow down... I – “ Armin’s words were cut as Erwin suddenly pushed it in deeper in one go.

There was a burn sensation up his ass. His mouth gaped open but there were no screams coming out of it.

“Shit I’m sorry.” Said the king. He was soaked in sweat and his raging breaths became very unsteady. He was about to lost himself in pleasure because Armin squeezed him too tight.

Erwin hugged the boy in a tight embrace and kissed his lips again.

“Don’t pass out on me. Feel me. I want you to feel me.” He whispered as he buried his cock deep inside without moving.

Armin was breathing hard. He tried to keep his conscious awake. His arms dropped on the bed. He has lost his entire strength.

Erwin was big and it filled him up inside. His stomach felt full as he massaged the hot twitching length. His mind was going blank.

Without warning Erwin started to move. He pulled his cock out then shoved it back in. This time Armin moans in respond to the new sensation. The king moved again and he pushed the shaft back in deeper until its root was buried. Armin’s inside was burned yet there were waves of electricity run through him every time Erwin moved. He wanted to come.

“Mess me up. Fill me more.” He begged as Erwin kept on thrusting deeper and faster. The king hugged him even tighter and Armin almost couldn’t breathe but he let him. Erwin could do anything to him and he would gladly accept it. The king was allowed to love him all he wanted tonight.

Erwin thrusts became harder and desperate. He couldn’t think of anything else other than the boy in his embrace. The tightening rim became gooey and delicious. His breaths became shorter as his pace increase. He was so close to climax. He wanted to shoot his sperm inside.

“I’m coming…”

“Give it to me…Fill me up, fill me up – ah ah ah!” Hot liquid poured inside Armin and the boy’s dick spurted thick juice all over his stomach. Erwin moved so fast to empty his load inside the boy. His mind went white for few seconds and he gained his conscious back after he was spent.

He could hear Armin panting hard in his arms. He dropped his body on top of the boy without pulling out. His stomach was wet with Armin’s cum but he didn’t mind one bit. He kept on hugging the boy who had lost consciousness.

“Forgive me…forgive me…” he whispered them over and over again against Armin’s ear. He kissed the boy’s forehead and stayed awake to watched Armin’s sleeping face.

He would wait for the boy to wake and asked his permission to do it again.

\-----


	15. Unfriendly Mermaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A deal with the Mermaid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> Woah! 750 kudos! OMG guys thank you sooooo much for all of the kudos XD  
> I love you so much *smooch* XD  
> Thank you so much for all the comment too.  
> You guys are the best!
> 
> This chapter is a bit late because i wanted to wrote so much more than this.  
> it's a shame that i can't do it but i hope you guys will still enjoy it.  
> Happy reading!

Eren tapped his toes one by one on the carpeted floor. The knocks were swallowed by the carpet, making no sound as he looked at Levi’s sleeping face. He didn’t want to wake Levi up. His husband was deep in his slumber and it was a rare sight to see. He was hugging the pillow so tight to the point that he might crush it and he looked so adorable.

Levi was sleeping naked. His hard muscles relaxing on the soft bed and his breathing were peaceful. He got the sheet wrapped just below his hips and that got Eren’s mind wandered back to last night’s make out session. The sensation of Levi’s thick cock rammed inside him was fresh in his memories. Those strong biceps wrapped around his hips to hold him in place while Levi pushed his dick inside. Eren’s hole twitched like crazy by the intrusion of the hot shaft.

Fuck, now he was getting hard. He felt his cheek blushed all the way to his ear. He should stop recalling about what he did last night and get on with his plan. He took a moment to look at Levi’s face as he crouched down beside the bed. He brushed Levi’s hair gently and tucked his bangs away from his forehead so that Eren could get a good look at the man’s face. What a stunning view. Sharp jaw, perfect cheek bone, long eyelashes, thin lips and pale skin, Levi was the definition of perfection. He was the strongest rider and Eren was lucky to be by his side like this.

He kissed Levi’s forehead and stood. He was thinking about making simple breakfast to surprise Levi. His back was killing him right now but that wouldn’t stop him from pleasing his husband. But first, he has to find Armin then dragged him to the kitchen to teach the brunet how to cook.

Eren turned his heels around and walked out of the room. He closed the door with a soft click.

The long empty hall looked pristine and fresh in the morning. The cold air brushing against his skin and it felt wonderful. It has been so long that he felt this kind of peace around him.

He swung his legs in light steps to Armin’s room. His buddy was drunk last night so maybe he needed a little help from Eren to get him back on his feet.

It was actually fun to tease the serious boy but he shouldn’t do it too often. Armin controlled second class magic after all. One spell and the blond could freeze anyone in eternal ice. That wouldn’t be nice if it happened to him.

He stopped his track in front of Armin’s room and knocked the door twice.

“Armin it’s me. Are you awake?” Eren said with his chipper voice.

No answer.

He knocked it again, a little harder this time.

“Armin?” Eren pushed his ear flat against the door but there was no sound from the other side. Something was not right. Maybe Armin was far too drunk to wake up early. Really? That was bad.

“I’m coming in.” he said and opened the door without waiting for an answer. He expected to find Armin on the bed but what he saw was Erwin Smith, standing beside the bed with his head down while staring at a piece of paper in his hand. He didn’t look up to see who came barging in to the room.

“King Erwin. What are you doing here?”

Erwin finally lifted his head up to look at the brunet. His eyes were sad and empty. He somewhat looked broken.

“Armin left. I did this… I broke his heart and now he’s gone.”

“What? What’s going on? What’s that in your hand?” Eren didn’t understand a single thing Erwin said. The king was not making any sense.

He walked closer to where Erwin stood and snatched the paper from his hand. It was Armin’s handwriting, there was no mistaking it. He read the letter to himself.

 

 

_Eren, Mikasa, I’ll be away for a while. Don’t come looking for me…please. I need sometime alone. I don’t know when I’ll be back but I promise you, I’ll be back._

_Eren, I’m sorry to do this just when you are having the best day of your life. Congratulations on the beautiful wedding. You looked amazing! Behave yourself while I’m away and don’t make things difficult for Mikasa okay? She may be overprotective but she cares about you more than you know._

_Extend my regards to Levi, will you? I’m hoping to meet your children by the time I get back. They will be just as adorable as you and him. Gosh, I can’t wait for that day to come._

_And… can you do me a favor and tell Erwin not to worry about me? The things I do right now have nothing to do with him. He did the best he could. He’s making the right decision._

_I’ll take care of myself, you know I always do. Take care._

_-Armin-_

Eren’s fingers trembled by the time he finished reading. His eyes widen and his heartbeat ran a mile a minute. He crumpled the paper in his hand and stare dagger at Erwin. The king’s expression was still empty and his eyes were still sad – no, they were even more depressed than before.

“What the fuck did you do to Armin?” Eren growled at the king. Right now he could care less that Erwin was the ruler of the Wind Kingdom. All he cared about was that this man had done something bad to his best friend.

“I hurt him… I was being selfish and I broke his heart.”

“What the fuck did you do to him?! He loved you, you selfish ass! Don’t you know how much he cares about you?!”

“I know…I know yet I never knew the right thing to do. It’s always been like this…”

“Fuck you idiot!” Eren scrambled out of the room, leaving the king alone. He dashed as fast as he could to Mikasa’s room. He skidded on corners and accelerated even faster on the long hallway to reach Mikasa’s bedroom. When he finally arrived there, he banged the doors repeatedly to wake Mikasa.

“Mikasa! Mikasa! Wake up!” he yelled. Mikasa didn’t answer him so he continued to bang the door until he got an answer.

“Mikasa! Wake up! Open the door!” Eren yelled again and this time he heard a _thud_ from behind the door. Maybe she was awake.

“Who – Eren?”

“Open the goddamn door!”

“Jeez…alright alright. Hang on a second.” The key was twisted from inside followed by a soft click. When she opened the door Eren snatched her hand and dragged her out. He ran as fast as he could to the garden. Mikasa almost fell to the front from the sudden force. She stumbled on her pajama but Eren was quick to rescue. She was saved from having her face kissed the cold marble floor.

“You okay? Come on.” Eren didn’t wait for her reply and pulled her hand again.

“Wha – ? Eren what’s wrong?”

“I need your help. Armin is missing, we gotta find him!”

“Wait wait, explain what happen.”

“We don’t have time! Just help me, Mikasa. He may still be around here.”

“Okay okay.” Mikasa – half asleep – was forced to wake with her wrist feeling numb from the hard grip. She ran to follow Eren to the beautiful green garden and shook her wrist free when their feet touched the grass.

“Stand back.” She said shortly before her skin started to harden and transformed into crystals. Her body was covered completely by the beautiful transparent scales and her size drastically changed. Within seconds she turned into the four-legged legendary creature. She was ready to take him anywhere he wished to go.

Eren grabbed one of her scale and jumped on her back.

“Let’s go!” he commanded. Mikasa flapped her huge wings and soar into the sky. They left the castle in a hurry without a single weapon in their hands.

\-----

 

It was getting late that day. Levi sat on the riverside with empty eyes. He stared at the pale moon’s reflection on the water, watching the perfect round shape broke by the leaping fish. Today was such a long day. His husband was nowhere to be seen since he woke up that morning and up until now there was no sign of him anywhere.

When he woke up alone in the bed, he thought that Eren was in the bathroom but that wasn’t the case. He climbed down the bed, put on some pajama pants and went to the bathroom. He expected to see Eren inside but when the door opened and there was no one there.

He called out for Eren few times to see if he was still somewhere in the room but he received no reply. The only sound echoed in the room was the chirping bird outside of the window.

He walked out of the room and checked the kitchen. Levi thought that maybe his brat was hungry because of last night vigorous sex but he was wrong. The kitchen was flooded with chefs and servants that had been working since dawn. They were busy preparing breakfast with great concentration. Levi asked one of the servants but she didn’t saw Eren. He asked one of the chefs and unfortunately he received the same answer. Then he asked another servants and another one but their answers are the same. None of them saw Eren.

He swept the entire castle for hours yet there was no sign of the brat anywhere. His patient ran thin so he opted for Armin’s help to find the boy yet to his surprise he was missing too. The anxiety grew bigger when his guards also couldn’t find Mikasa in her room nor in any other part of the castle. The guards only found Erwin in Armin’s room.

Erwin – however – couldn’t be any use of him because he refused to speak. Or he couldn’t speak. Levi just didn’t know so he let Erwin be.

Anxiety crept under his skin and clouded his mind. The raven haired king balled his fists and let his sharp black nails sank to his skin. He welcomed the pain as that was the only thing that kept him in bay. He needed to calm down.

Something has happened. Something – or someone – might have slipped inside the Dark Kingdom and took Eren away. The first thought that came to his mind was Eren in danger and that made his muscles tensed.

He summoned his armor. Black mist quickly emerged and wrapped around his body, circling him while slowly taking shape and molded into armor. He ordered his guard to search the entire castle for intruders, man or not.

He wanted the intruder to be captured alive so that he could peel his skin layer by layer for questioning. Every vein in his body felt like they could snap at any time when he imagined that hunters – or even worse Reiner – had managed to take Eren away.

He called Tiamat then dragged Hanji and Oluo out of their work rooms to search for his brat. He didn’t even bother to explain the situation thoroughly because the only thing that was on his mind was to find Eren.

Anger was written all over his face. His blood boiled to the point that he wanted to burn everything down to ashes. Fury controlled Levi’s senses and that made the Blood Swords happy. When the master got out of control it would mean that blood bath would soon took place.

The swords glow in bright dark red as Levi took off from the castle and flew up in the clear sky. Guttural laugh was heard when Levi’s tattoo grew larger. That tattoo was actually a Soul Eater rune that crawled under his skin and tried to consume his conscious. It was eating away his mind and he would let it. He could care less about what happened to him as long as he could find Eren.

The three of them swept the entire west area and kept on searching to another area for another twenty two days. On the twenty third day, the sun has set earlier than they expected so Hanji suggested that they took shelter for the night.

There has been too many blood spilled these past few days and it worried her. Levi’s anger grew bigger by the day and Hanji could feel that the Soul Eater rune took control of him. The king’s desire was drove by the rune and if this continued, there would be no more salvation for what he would become. His father went through the same phase after all.

As soon as they landed, Oluo built a camp for them to call it a night but Levi refused to sleep. He walked to the nearest river to be alone.

Onc there, he crouched on the riverside and dunked his bloodied hands into the water. He washed them furiously. The blood didn’t come off easily so he rubbed it even harder. Some of his skin peeled off and it started to bleed yet he didn’t stop.

He could see Eren’s bloodied form in the back of his mind, breathing his last breath as he called out for Levi’s name. The boy’s dying breath was so real and it drove him crazy. The water soon dyed in red and the current washed it away.

He slammed his fist into the water, creating ripples everywhere. He screamed and yelled in anger while hitting the water over and over again. How could he lose the most important person in his own castle? It made his blood boiled.

Levi only stopped when pain in his hand started to kicked in. He stopped to look at his bloodied hand and closed his eyes. He was having difficulties to breath normally.

He balled his fists and pressed his eyes with them. The disturbing images wouldn’t leave him alone and he almost lost it. Only the silent night accompanied his perplexed mind.

He put down his swords and sat on the rocky ground. The sound of nature and the singing crickets lulled the rune to sleep. His mind slowly recovered and the darkness inside his head faded. The melody of the river stream soothed his tensed muscles although sorrow still occupied his heart. The stress spread quickly to his body and gradually ate his strength.

Why did this happen? Just few days ago he was happily embracing Eren in his arms but now everything turned shit. He combed his dark hair roughly to the back with his hand. He blew a heavy sigh.

Where the fuck was he? What happened? Did someone – or something – really take him away? Why were the three of them gone? Armin and Mikasa were powerful fighters. Eren was not so bad himself so there was no way the three of them could get kidnapped without any fight at all.

“Shit!” he procrastinate to himself in the dark. He could feel fury wrapped around his heart and mind again. The Soul Eater rune in his arm throbbed. They wanted to take over him again and he didn’t want to stop it. He felt empty.

The small ripples in the river reminded him on the time when he searched for Eren in the Wind Realm. As his eyes glued to the water, his mind has travelled elsewhere. He fell in love with the beautiful prince disguised as a dancer. Eren’s warm lips melted his heart and he felt safe. It was a feeling that never came to him before and he promised to guard the boy with his life. But now Eren has been taken away.

He could feel his consciousness slipping and darkness would soon take over him. He didn’t care. At least he would find peace in the darkness where there was nothing in there.

When half of his vision has been devoured, the ripples in the river got bigger. They became more violent as small waves made their way to reach his feet. There was something inside the water, something evil or maybe something vicious from inside that wanted to harm him. This forest was famous for its human-eating monsters after all.

Levi stood on his feet and held his sword by the hilt. He would kill anything that came out of the water as soon as it attacked.

Something emerged from the river and it looked like a human. It was a man. His face was not too clear because he was too far. The man swam to his direction pretty fast. There was no way a human could swam that fast. The first creature that came to Levi’s mind was a River Mermaid. They were carnivore beasts who were very fond of human’s meat. They lived mostly in the calm river and their magic weren’t one to be underestimated.

Once the creature got closer, Levi was petrified by the sight of the man’s face. Short chestnut hair, beautiful pair of turquoise eyes, plump lips and sun-kissed skin. It was Eren!

His face, his eyes – the dazzling shades of green and blue which always reflected on Eren’s eyes – there was no mistaking it. Eren was there!

His grip on the sword loosen as he let the sword slid back to its sheathe. He kept on staring at the brat while carefully calling out to the brunet.

“Eren…”

“Levi… Levi I miss you so much.” the boy said.

Eren swam until he reached the riverside and waited there. Half of his body stayed inside the water. He wiggled his turquoise tail and fins playfully. Eren giggled as he sat his elbow on top of the wet rock.

“Come here babe.” Eren said again in seductive voice. His voice was sultry and sounded like a melody to Levi’s ear. It was mesmerizing.

Levi walked closer and knelt down in front of the boy. Eren lifted his hand and caressed Levi’s cheek. They were so cold to the touch.

“Kiss me Levi…Kiss me. Give me just a taste…” Eren asked and closed his eyes to claim a kiss. For a moment there Eren hoped for a warm kiss from his husband but there were nothing. Eren felt strange so he opened his eyes and to his surprise Levi didn’t move an inch. The brunet found a pair of sharp eyes glazed in hatred staring at him instead.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Eren looked shocked and sad. “It’s me. Eren.”

“What makes you think you’re him dipshit? I’ll ask you just one more time. Who the _hell_ are you?”

Eren lowered his hands as he sat on the ground. He looked like he was about to cry but Levi still threw those hatred gazes at him.

Eren lowered his head as his lips twitched. He grinned. Sharp fangs turned up behind his plump pink lips as he smiled to Levi – an evil one. He laughed – low guttural laughs – with a voice that sounded like Eren but coated with another voice. It was like hearing two people spoke at the same time.

Levi got up on his feet to face the imposter. The mermaid wiped his fake tears.

“ _How disappointing. I thought we could play for a little bit more._ ”

“Son of a bitch. How the hell did you know Eren’s face?”

“ _That Prince of yours is rather famous, isn’t he? Everyone knows him. He was an exotic one indeed_.” The mermaid laughed again. It crawled on top of a big rock and sat there leisurely while playing with its gorgeous turquoise tail.

“ _Hm…beautiful turquoise eyes, sharp hip bones, lean muscles and waist, and these delicious lips taunting everyone to taste them. No wonder you’re in love with this baby sugar_.” It said while caressing his own body – no, Eren’s body which shaped was borrowed by the creature.

Levi stared dagger at the creature; studying every move it made but the form that it wore distracted him. It was like having Eren in front of him but he wasn’t really there. Seeing the creature wore Eren’s face angered him but at the same time he missed Eren so much that he couldn’t move to kill it.

Eren – or rather the mermaid – batted its eyelashes seductively to the dark king. It knew that the face it borrowed was something that Levi couldn’t resist. No harm would come if it kept disguising as Eren.

It laughed again when it saw how hard Levi tried to keep himself calm. The king balled his fist and purposely bit his lower lip until it bleed. He refused to succumb to the hypnotizing voice.

“ _Mmnn…Let me guess, you have been searching for him with no luck? Darling, you should give up_.”

“Shut up.” Levi drew his sword and point the sharp tip to the creature’s – no, Eren’s neck. The prince wasn’t scared at all. Eren’s eyes reflected hundred shades of green and blue colors that Levi loved so much and he couldn’t bring himself to cut the boy’s throat.

“ _You’re going to kill me? I’m your husband. Why are you doing this Levi? I love you_.”

“I said shut up dipshit. Don’t push your luck.”

The mermaid laughed harder this time.

“ _Oh be my guest. Do it! I bet you’ll enjoy the sight of your lovely prince bleeding to death in your arms_.” The creature laughed and laughed with its devilish voice, mocking at Levi’s misery and trampled on his sorrow. It enjoyed the darkness that started to swell beneath Levi’s skin. The Soul Eater rune poisoned his blood and the mermaid loved it. The dark king was a special feast for their kind and there was no way it would let him escaped.

Levi lowered his arm and let the Blood Sword feed on his bloodied hand. He closed his eyes and drew a long breath.

“I won’t kill you. She will.” Levi whistled to call out for his dragon and the mermaid’s face immediately turned white as sheet. The wind suddenly turned strong as Tiamat showed up from behind the trees. She landed on the ground and roared. The ground shook and the water splashed uncontrollably.

The mermaid had to shut its ears to avoid that painful roar. The roars were irritating. She was screaming very loud as her poisonous breath spread. Any creature could die the second they breathed on them.

Tiamat wouldn’t care even it looked like Eren. She would shred it to pieces and snack on it in the blink of an eye.

“I’ll leave you two to have fun here.” Levi said and turned his heels around to leave the ground.

“ _Wait! Wait…I’m sorry. Please don’t eat me._ ”

Levi snorted. “What? Scared of death?”

“ _If you eat me I won’t be able to tell you what happened to your dear little prince. You wouldn’t want that._ ”

Levi stopped on his track and turned his body around. He looked at the mermaid with hatred in his stormy blue eyes.

“Speak. If you lie I will have her eat you.”

The mermaid smirk before it spoke. “ _He passed by this wood just a few days ago. Some hunters were after him and the girl_.”

“Just the two of them?”

“ _Yes_.”

“You’re a lying piece of shit.”

“ _I’m telling the truth. There were only the two of them. No one else._ ”

“Why the fuck should I trust you?”

“ _I am the Moon Mermaid. I know everything that happens under the moonlight and I don’t tell lies. Didn’t your friend Petra told you about us?_ ”

Levi held his tongue and thought to himself. Indeed, Moon Mermaid could see everything that the moonlight touched but they were never the generous one. They would ask for something in return for any information they shared and it was usually something very precious.

“Tell me everything and I’ll spare your filthy life.”

The mermaid laughed again with its demonic voice with its head held high.

“ _You think it’s that simple huh? Oh darling, you’re so naïve. I can share what I know but under my condition_. _If you don’t agree then I will carry this knowledge to the grave._ ”

“And I should believe that you lie or break a deal?”

“ _You should. I won’t back out from a deal, not if I could get what I want. Or…you can just sit tight and wait for the prince’s corpse to return home. Wouldn’t you love that?_ ”

Levi didn’t retort and watched Tiamat circled the mermaid, watching her prey. She growled as her mouth was opened to swallow the creature. Levi lifted his hand to stop her.

The mermaid looked pleased – incredibly pleased when she knew the table has turned.

“ _I knew you wouldn’t do it. You’ll listen to me then?_ ”

“Speak.”

“ _Perfect. Now, I will tell you two things about your prince and in return I want you to give me two things as well.”_

Levi waited for it to continue. He folded his arm in front of his chest.

“ _First, I want you to make love to me._ ”

“What?”

The mermaid laughed and continued. “ _And second I want to eat your flesh that has been covered completely in Soul Eater rune’s poison._ _That’s my deal.”_

“You want to eat me?”

It nodded. “ _Your flesh is the most delicious feast in this world especially when it’s been stained by the Soul Eater runes._ ”

“And why the hell should I fuck you?”

“ _Because I want it. I want the rumored Strongest Rider’s seeds in me. Maybe if it grew into a child I would eat it just like how I eat you. Isn’t it nice? I get to feed the most delicious treat twice in my life._ ”

“Sick bastard.”

“ _Call me what you want. Do we have a deal?_ ”

“…Yeah.”

“ _Then come and seal it, sugar._ ”

Levi walked closer to where it sat and the mermaid caressed his cheek and lips. Levi kissed the mermaid’s wet lips and deepened the kiss as he hugged it to his embrace. Levi drew it into a tight hug and kissed it passionately as he would to Eren. His heart was crying but the mermaid would not receive an empty kiss. Its kind has always wanted a passionate kiss to seal every deal they made. After all, a kiss was very precious for two birds in love and stealing it would have the best feeling ever.

“Mmnnh…” It moaned with Eren’s voice and for a second there Levi almost lost his mind. He missed the boy so much to the point that he wanted to push the mermaid down and fuck it mercilessly. With the last sanity he has left, he pushed it away and wiped his lips.

“ _You’re a good kisser_.” It said while licking his lips to savor the remaining taste of Levi’s saliva.

“Now speak. I don’t have time for your bullshit anymore.”

It snickered.

“ _Like father like son, I guess. Fine, I’ll tell you. Your dear little prince was chased by hunters from Thunder Kingdom…and amongst them there were Your people too._ ”

“Bullshit.”

“ _We really have a trust issue here. Maybe we can work this out if I get to spend one night with you now._ ”

“Cut the crap. Continue.”

“ _Patients Darling_. _Reiner was there too, amongst those hunters. But I guess it’s not too surprising since he has been chasing after your prince since the beginning. You – on the other hand – should start investigating your officials. They can’t be trusted._ ”

“Spare me your opinions. I don’t want to hear shit about it.”

“ _A pity_.” It snickered. “ _Not that I care. What I want is you anyway. I could care less about what happens to your kingdom._ ”

The mermaid climbed down from the huge rock and plunged inside the water again.

“ _Forgive me. Being outside of the water too long ruins my skin._ ”

Levi just stood and watched it bathe in the water. Under the moonlight, its tanned skin glow just the way Eren’s skin would. The longing feeling inside his heart grew larger and he wanted to stop it. This was getting too long. He should end this, _fast_.

“ _Second one is good news for you.”_ It continued after his body was soaked completely under the water. _“Eren was rescued by a Dimensional Wizard. However I don’t know which gate he opened._ ”

“He? The wizard is a man?”

“ _Mmm…A young man. He doesn’t look older than twenty but I won’t give you the pleasure of the details_.”

Levi didn’t want to dig further either so he turned his body around and climbed on top of Tiamat’s back.

“ _Leaving so soon?_ ”

“I got what I want.”

“ _Fine. But remember, I want my payment eighteen moons from now. I’m sure you know what day it is_.”

Levi looked behind one more time to the smirking mermaid then ordered Tiamat to take him away from there. He might have made the same mistake as his father but he would do anything for Eren.

Eighteen months from now was the most vulnerable time for his kingdom. It was the time when the Goddess of Destruction’s power and the Darkness itself were at their strongest. It would also lure the Blood Sword and Soul Eater rune to go rampage. It was his job to make sure that nothing went wrong that day.

Tiamat flew to the camp. Once there, he woke Hanji and Oluo in a hurry then dragged them back to the Dark Kingdom. He would get to the bottom of this, found Eren and kill everyone who hunted his Prince. He knew he’d meet death before he let Eren meet harm.

\-----


	16. The Rift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A space between space.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> Thank you for all kudos and comments for this fic!  
> I can't believe how much responds and emotions that you give for this fic.  
> Though some chapters are difficult to read but i still want to Thank You for reading this far.  
> Thank you so much!
> 
> I'm so sorry that this update came too late.  
> I got my hands full with work lately but i'm so glad that i can finally update tonight.  
> Thanks again and happy reading!

It has been twenty five days since Eren was missing. The bed has turned cold and the room turned dark. There were no signs of life in that room ever since Eren was gone. Levi didn’t want to sleep in that room because there were too many memories lingered there.

He watched the dark room in silent from the doorstep. His eyes focused on the bed where Eren laid down with him on the wedding night. He stepped in and sat on the edge of the bed and caressed the sheets. They were cold, there was no warmth left behind and he couldn’t recall Eren’s body heat in his memories.

After he knew that a Dimensional Wizard has saved Eren, his heart felt relief for a bit. He asked for the help of the Dark Kingdom’s Dimensional Wizard to investigate which gate was opened that night. The wizard used her power immediately to help but Levi never thought that it would take more than two days to find the answer. He was getting worried.

While the wizard was trying her best to locate the gate, he worked with Hanji and Oluo to find the traitor inside their kingdom. He didn’t want to believe it but since Eren’s life was at stake, he would search whoever betrayed him and catch them, dead or alive.

He was getting impatient with his own incapability to find Eren. He cursed to himself, got up from the bed and stepped out of the room. He was heading for the kitchen.

A drink would help, he thought.

It was already late so everyone has turned in for the night, except for himself. He never slept in regular times and lately he found sleeping was too annoying because he got disturbing dreams. It was hard to wake up from those kinds of dream and once he was up, they plague his mind and forced him to think that the worst has happen to Eren. He was pissed to no end when they kept on replaying in his mind like some kind of broken record, so he decided to stay awake as long as he could.

Levi walked alone in the palace’s hall. It was empty, dark, cold and it didn’t get any better when the moonlight shone on the marble floor. The view was still as pale as the cemetery. His heels sounded thunderous in the silent night. Every step that he took reminded him of how lonely he was in this world. It never bothered him before but now, without Eren’s presence, the loneliness and the silent was deafening.

He kept on walking, dragging his dark-blue pajama robe on the clean floor. He was wearing thin white silk shirt and black silk pants beneath the robe. The chilly air slipped in easily and bit down to his bones.

“Taking night strolls?” he heard someone suddenly talked to him from behind. Levi looked over his shoulder to find Darius Zacklay stood under the moonlight.

The man was slightly taller than Levi. He had bushy white beard and mustache, square jaw and grey hair which combed neatly to the back. He wore a black robe with huge hood that was pooled around his neck, covering half of his head and nape. In the chest part, there was a special insignia sewn with purple and gold threads. It was a symbol for the member of The Elders.

That middle-aged guy was one of the oldest riders who had lived for more than three thousand years. All people practically bowed down to him but Levi didn’t. He believed that respect was earned and Zacklay hasn’t earned it from him.

The man stepped away from the moonlight and walked into the shadow. Part of his body now became hard to see with little light shone upon it. His round small glasses hanged dangerously on his nose. They were about to fall down but he pushed it up again.

“None of your business.” Levi dismissed the question. He didn’t want to talk to anyone right now.

“It’s been twenty five days since he’s gone. Our enemies might have gotten ahold of him and he might be dead by now.”

“That what you want huh?”

“Not really. But it may be for the best. You should find another bride to give birth to your heir. It’s not too late.”

“Jesus fuck, shut up. I don’t want to hear about it.”

“Do you not care for this kingdom? Your heir will rule this country and carry on your duty. He will inherit your power and bring prosperity to this kingdom.”

“I will accept no one else to bear my child except Eren. This discussion is over.”

“You disappoint us Levi.”

“I answer to my people. I don’t give two shits about your _disappointment_.” And with that Levi left Zacklay alone in the hall.

He really had enough of this conversation. Zackaly’s obsession for power and immortality sickened him. Levi wanted no part of this. He would lead his country to a peaceful life until the day he died together with Eren.

Levi made a quick stop to his work room and snatched some overdue paper works. He brought them to the kitchen and dropped them carelessly on the wooden dining table. He searched the kitchen for a bottle of wine and found one lying near the stove. He grabbed it and poured the wine half full into a glass.

He downed the drink and let it burned his throat then poured another glass. He brought the bottle with him to the table and put them carelessly. The wine spilled and it stained the wooden table. The stain looked just like a bloodstain and the dark table just made it worse. The red wine turned dark and images of Eren soaked in blood flashes in his head.

He shut his eyes reflexively and closed them tight. He could feel his heart racing, his palm sweaty and the sound of his throbbing vein was loud and clear. He went silent for few minutes then opened his eyes. His vision was fogged at first but then they went back to focus.

He looked down again to the stain and nothing happened. It wasn’t scary like the first time. His mind was playing tricks on him.

He turned around and searched for a cloth to wipe the table. He found one lying near the stove and he took it with him. He cleaned the entire table and chair, wiped them down until he could see his own reflection on the hard wood.

Once he was done, they became incredibly clean. He was satisfied with his work but then he wiped them again to make sure those bloody images wouldn’t come back again.

After a good cleaning he put the dirty cloth away and sat on the wooden chair. It creaked with the new weight. He sipped the wine and started to sign whatever report he needed to sign. He worked on them for about half an hour until his head started to feel drowsy. He was tipsy from the wine but he didn’t want to rest.

He continued to work on the paper for another hour and only stopped when someone blocked the light and shadowed half of his paper. He looked up to find Hanji stared at him with her hands folded in front of her chest.

“Busy?”

“No.” He replied then drank it again. Hanji sat and helped herself to pour some wine into her own glass. She took a sip and raised her eyebrow in surprise.

“This is good.” She said while admiring the red liquid swayed from side to side in the crystal glass. Levi hummed in agreement.

“Anything new from the Wizard?” He asked without looking at her. He kept working on the paper with minimum light.

“She said she’ll get the location in few hours.” Hanji sipped her wine again.

“Good. Any news from Oluo?”

“Not yet. He suspected some people but still need some evidences so Oluo is still investigating.”

“Keep looking.”

“Yeah sure…. Levi?”

“What?”

“It’s been two days y’know.”

“Since we’re back? No shit.”

“You’re not gonna tell me anything?”

“Like what?”

“Like how did you get those clues?”

Levi put down the quill pen and drank again. “It doesn’t matter. You should just concentrate on finding him.”

“ _It_ _is_ matter. You’re our king and _my best friend_. You’d think I’d let you face danger alone?”

“I’m more than capable to take care of my own shit. And how do you know I’m dealing with something dangerous? Did you spy on me?” Levi was about to take his glass but Hanji snatched it away.

“This is bad for you. You’re no longer immortal. Your body has a limit.” She protested instead of answering Levi’s question.

“You think I don’t know that?”

“No you don’t. Look at you. Drinking while working yourself to death. I can hear your liver screaming.”

“Bullshit. Give me that back.” Levi was about to take it but Hanji backed away from the table. She brought the bottle and the glass with her then placed them on the cabinet near the window.

“I think it’s better not to rely on this one tonight.” She said.

Hanji tucked them safely in the corner then went back to Levi’s table.

“By the way, this table is super clean, yeah? The maid did good job.”

“I cleaned it.”

“You did? Wow, I didn’t know you could clean so well.”

“Neither do I. Hanji if you came here to take my drinks and bother me than get the fuck out of here.”

“I’m here because _you_ have something to tell me.”

“I got nothing to tell you.”

“Yeah you do. Come on Levi, you always tell me things.”

“I don’t, you’re the one who’s always force me to tell eveything. Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“Levi, this is serious. I’m glad you got those clues but what’s at stake here?”

“Nothing.”

“Those woods are dwells with creatures that are not exactly _friendly_. Their either want to eat us or want something precious from us. You can’t fool me.”

“Tsk.”

“You made a trade, did you? What was it?”

Levi held his breath for a moment. His eyes searched for something in the room that could distract him from Hanji’s intense stare.

“It was a moon mermaid.”

Hanji instantly growled in anger as she ducked her head on the table. “From _all_ the creatures in the wood and you had to make a deal with a Moon Mermaid?”

“I have to. It’s for Eren.”

“Okay…What did it asked in return?”

“It wants to…eat me.”

“And?”

“That’s it.”

“You got two different informations grumpy. Two clues, two payments.”

“What do I have to do to get rid of you? Like, fucking right now?”

“You can’t. What’s the second payment?”

Levi rolled his eyes and thought to himself for few seconds before he said. “It…wanted my child.”

“Huh?”

Levi rolled his eyes. “It wanted a child from me so that it can eat him.”

“WHAT?! Sonovabitch Levi?!”

“You wanna know? Well there you go. You got what you want. If you don’t want to hear about it anymore then get the fuck out.”

“No! Are you crazy?! I’m not gonna walk out of this room _now_. What the hell were you thinking?”

“Shut up four eyes! This is the only way to find him. If you have a better way then spills it. Otherwise I don’t need your fucking meddling.”

“It’s true that I don’t have an idea where to find Eren but you can at least tell me about this! I’m not angry at you for making the deal. Well…maybe just a little, but I am mad at you because you kept this a secret. You didn’t even want to tell me anything if I don’t ask!”

“This is my problem shitty glasses!”

“Well not anymore! This is my problem too so let me help.”

“Hanji, I’m not dragging anyone’s ass in this.”

“I’m dragging myself in so shut the fuck up.”

Levi looked away from Hanji’s angry eyes back to the paper work on his desk. Indeed, it was difficult to solve this problem alone. He was thinking that he would find a way out of this somehow but having Hanji on his side wasn’t so bad. Two were better than one.

“Fine. Do as you like.”

“Thanks, I will. Now let’s drink.” She smiled and got up to get the wine back. Levi couldn’t help but smile. Sometimes he didn’t know whether he should strangle her to death or just be thankful that she always got his back.

Hanji brought back the bottle and glasses to his table. She poured on both glasses and pushed one to Levi. He didn’t hesitate and drank them all. It burned his throat again but it felt good. It’s the first time in the last few days since he felt good like this.

He put down the glass and watched Hanji drank the wine.

“Can you break a deal once it’s sealed?” he asked. Hanji peeked at him from the corner of his eyes while sipping the wine, slowly this time. She lowered the glass a little as her lips stayed on the rim.

“Hm… Yeah, you can if what was promised in the deal is gone, broken, lost or something like that.”

Levi hummed. They went silent for a moment. Hanji emptied the glass and put it down.

“You have any idea why it want to eats you?”

“Some…”

“They like meat but their favorite is a cursed human… Oh! That’s it! It wants you because of your Soul Eater rune. Your flesh is cursed and your child will be the next bearer of the rune.”

“I thought so too.”

“Ah shit, you’re fucked Levi. So you can be saved if the rune is passes on to your child but he will be its next victim, which it has already predicted. That’s why it asked for your child too. Clever bastard.” She was smiling when she said this. She tapped her feet repeatedly and her smile got wider.

“You sound like you’re admiring it.”

“Me? I don’t! Aw come on, don’t you trust me?”

“No.”

“Well okay, I admit it piques my interest but that’s it!”

“Whatever.”

“Come on, you gotta admit that the mermaid is intriguing and clever. You’re not gonna wiggle your way out of this easily unless the Goddess of Destruction is dead… AH! That’s right! You can break the deal completely if she’s dead! You need to kill the Goddess of Destruction! The curse runs through your family’s bloodline because of her and the only way to get rid of it is by killing her!”

Levi got tongue-tied all of a sudden. What Hanji said was true. The only way he could broke the deal was to kill the spell-caster of his curse, which is the Goddess of Destruction. The only problem left was that the goddess was hard to defeat. It even took his ancestor’s life and some of the best riders’ soul in the Dark Realm just to seal it, but it was worth to try. Levi stood from his chair and balled his fist.

“Not bad Hanji. We need to find a way to kill her. If I can defeat her, everyone will also be freed from the curse.”

“Hm…yeah, but I think it’s a bad idea. No one can defeat her.”

“Fuck that. Gather the ministries first thing in the morning. I want – “ Levi’s words were cut when the kitchen door was slammed open. Both Levi and Hanji’s attention were immediately focused to the man who came barging in. It was Moblit. He stood by the door with short breaths. His face was so serious that Hanji actually worried about him.

“My Lord, we found him! Eren’s location has been found. He’s in the Fire Realm!”

\-----

 

The Fire Realm was a country located near active volcanos, or more specifically encircled by the volcanos. The people there coexisted in harmony with the nature. They have the most fertile lands and owned some of the rarest stone in the world.

Most of it’s people lived in Trost City, a town that yielded so many blacksmiths since the beginning of the time. Some of them made the most valuable art in weaponry. It’s not rare to found people from other realms came to the city in search for the perfect weapon.

Marco grew in this city ever since he was born but he knew nothing about weapons and armors. He had another gift bestowed upon him and he was working on his skill to make his gift useful for other people. In order to make that dream came true Marco studied special magic to enhance his skill from the town’s Dimensional Wizard. He became an apprentice since he was five and now he grew up to be a fine young wizard.

Marco lived in in a beautiful house just beside the river that ran across the city. He was on his way home from today’s lesson. He bit down the last apple from the grocery bag while walking down the busy street. The sun was about to set but the town was still livelier than ever.

Drunken old men passed him by while laughing and singing messy tunes with bottles in their hands. They waved at him and Marco waved back. They weren’t bad guys but their hobby to get drunk in the middle of the day was kind of disturbing for the neighborhood. Not that he mind as long as he could live in peace.

“Hey Marco! How about some bread for your honey?” Marco passed by the town’s bread store and the baker, Mr. Wagner, offered him some of his delicious bread but he refused. He had enough bread for everyone including the guests that stayed in his home.

“No thank you, Mr. Wagner. I’ve got plenty right here.” He said while lifting his grocery bags to show Mr. Wagner. The baker laughed.

“You should buy some more. God knows he needs a lot of energy to take care of you both.”

Marco’s face immediately turned beet red. “T-Thank you for your concern but this is enough. Good day Mr. Wagner.”

The freckled boy scurried to his home without looking back. He could still hear the baker laugh but he tried his best to ignore it. A couple of minute walk and he was out of the town’s hustle bustle. His house was at sight and it was the most beautiful thing he ever saw.

He liked his simple house. White smoke puffed out from the chimney, the smell of woods and trees combined with sweet aroma from the kitchen teased his stomach. The walls were made of woods and the roof were made of clay. There were two seats with small round table on the porch where he and his boyfriend often sat for a drink together. Sometime he would fell asleep there and his boyfriend would carry him inside. Small things like that were what made him fall in love with his lover.

As he walked by the porch, the wooden floor creaked with new weight. He opened the door and let himself in to the warm house. The sweet smells got stronger as he walked pass the kitchen. It appeared that his boyfriend has made his favorite apple pie and chicken soup for dinner. Marco smiled at the sight of the delicious dinner. He continued to walk to the back of the house where his small garden laid spread.

A breeze immediately burst in when he opened the back door and the view of his little garden filled with vegetables soothed his mind. Those green cabbages looked particularly delicious with their perfect round shape and the ripe tomatoes were a feast to the hungry eyes. He planted them as a hobby at first but now he grew very fond of them and planning to produce much more to sell.

Though his boyfriend’s income was more than enough for both of them, he still wanted to make a living of his own. Being a Wizard’s apprentice didn’t exactly promise you big money after all.

Marco searched for his boyfriend to the shop that located beside their house. He was about to give his lover a surprise but halted when he heard loud voices from the shop. It must be his boyfriend probably with a customer, or customers. It wasn’t weird for him to find his boyfriend flooded with customers who wanted to have their weapons or armors done a.s.a.p.

The orders often came too much for his lover to handle alone so he often helped in the shop until very late at night. Marco would accompanied his boyfriend in the shop while watching his muscular arms and well defined abs drenched in sweat while he molded the hot iron into a weapon. It was a really lovely sight to see. What a turn on.

“Can’t you finish it by today? We have to hunt those dragons at night while they’re sleeping.” A customer complained to his boyfriend.

A man with light ash-brown hair with his side and back trimmed shorter shook his head to the customer. He wore dark green shirt and brown leather pants that wrapped around his thighs and legs perfectly. He completed his looks with knee-length boots, black leather gloves and a dirty apron. He flipped the sword to inspect how much damaged it got.

“No can do. This baby was damaged pretty bad. It was made from silver ore alright, but without proper care, they’ll rust in no time. You shouldn’t let it stain in blood for too long.”

“I know how to take care of my shit okay. Just fix it and you’ll get your payment.” The customer with huge body and heavy armor talked back to his boyfriend. He let out a heavy sighed.

“Hey I got here first! Wait in the line!” said another customer who stood behind his boyfriend. He wore light armor and a dragon’s claw-shaped shoulder pad. His scarred face looked furious. He was probably a hunter.

“What did you say? Don’t ya know who I am?” the first customer retorted.

“I don’t care who you are! I got here first bitch!”

“Think you’re so though huh?! I’ll tell you what though is!”

 “Ey! Stop it! No fightin’ in my shop! I’ll fix these swords by tomorrow so get the hell out of my shop right now. We’re closed!”

The two angry men cursed. One of them spat and walked out of the shop. The other just walked out with hatred in his eyes.

“You better finish it by tomorrow Kirstein.”

“Or what? You gonna kill me? Get out, _now_ , or you can take your sword to another shop.” The scarred face customer pierced his eyes at first but then he turned around and left. His boyfriend put the sword down on the table, pulled off his apron and slammed it on the table. He cursed to himself.

“Busy day Jean?”

Jean looked to his right and found Marco smiled at him. The freckled boy’s angelic face was like a healing balm for his heart.

“Just some jackasses who never failed to ruin their weapons. They don’t love their swords at all.”

“I think only few men who actually _love_ their weapons y’know.”

He sighed again, the heaviest one today. “You _should_ love your weapon, it’s not just tool. It’s your only protection against anything that threatens your life. It’s practically your guardian. Those assholes can’t even understand such simple shit.”

Marco approached Jean and hugged him from behind. “I’m jealous. I think you love irons more than you love me.”

Jean snickered and turned around to hugged Marco back. He grabbed Marco’s ass and kissed his neck and chin. “You’re different.”

Marco giggled and cupped Jean’s face to kiss him in the lips. “I’m not convinced.” He said with a warm smile.

“You’re not convinced? Well then how about I prove my love for you right here, right now, hm?”

Marco giggled again while pushing Jean’s shoulder to make some distance. “No~ We have guests remember? And I’m hungry.”

“Leave that brat alone. I bet he tried to kill himself. No sane man would’ve travel that far and even got into a fight with some hunters with that condition.”

“Hey that’s mean! He didn’t know what he was carrying at that time. No one could’ve known it.”

“Yeah yeah. Can we eat? I’m hungry too. And after that I’m gonna eat your ass.”

“Jean~”

“You’re not gonna stop me.”

Marco laughed and gave Jean a peck on the lips again before he turned around and head back to the house. Jean wiped his hands with clean cloth and wiped them again on his pants before he followed Marco back to the house. Marco has told him many times to stop wiping his hands on his pants but old habits die hard.

Jean walked faster to catch up with Marco who waited for him by the door.

“Come on princess, walk faster. The dinner will get cold.”

Jean snickered again as he reached Marco and circled his arm on his boyfriend’s waist. “I’m no princess, darling. I’m your prince.”

Marco laughed while letting himself carried away by his boyfriend to the dining table. Jean dragged the chair out and offered the freckled angel to sit.

“Have a seat, your highness.” He said and Marco sat on the chair. He squirmed a little until he found comfortable position and Jean leave to get the plates. He set them out to the table and returned to the kitchen again to get the soup. He poured some on bowls and brought them inside. He went back to the kitchen again to get the bread, salad and apple pie. He returned to the table and laid them there. Marco already brought the wine so Jean just has to pour it on each glass. s

Jean was a great cook and Marco always craved for his cooking ever since he tasted them for the first time. He loved how Jean always treated him to delicious homemade cooking.

“Bon appétit.” Jean said while raising his glass for a toast. Marco raised it too then sipped the wine a little and put it down. He was actually starving so he’ll safe the wine for later. Jean on the other side was not a really big eater. Although he was hungry he always chose for more wine instead of food. Nothing could spoil him more than good liquor. Fortunately he always took care not to drink too much because once he got drunk, he couldn’t remember how it tasted and that would bring him regret.

They chatted in the warm dining room while enjoying their dinner until a knock came to their door.

“I’ll get it.” Marco said while wiping his mouth with napkin. He stood from his chair and walk to the door.

“Who is it?”

“Excuse me, is this Kirstein’s residence? I was wondering if you could help us find someone.”

Marco unlocked the door and opened it to find a woman in messy ponytail with a big smile on her face. Marco immediately recognized her.

“Ms. Hanji Zoe?”

“Woah you know me? Holy shit I’m famous! Levi did you hear that? I’m famous!” Hanji turned her body around to reveal the man behind her.

He was few inches shorter than her with a very dark hair which contrast with his pale skin. He had stormy blue eyes, thin eyebrows and lips that gave him a dark impression. For a second there he looked bored when Hanji spoke to him but his face turned serious when he met Marco’s eyes.

How weird, Marco thought to himself. There weren’t many people that could pull off such a handsome face with a sour expression.

He wore luxurious dark-blue satin shirt combined with black leather pants that spoke of his wealthy background. Blood Swords attached to his hips. Half of their length was covered by his cloak. Marco recognized him in an instant.

“Good evening, King Levi.” He said with steady voice. Levi’s frowned when he heard how calm Marco greeted him. Most people would be surprise when a king from another country came to visit their house unannounced.

“You knew we were coming.” Levi voiced his suspicion.

“Yes, I was hoping for you to come actually. Please come in.” Marco said as he stepped aside to let them in. Both Hanji and Levi came inside and Marco closed the door.

Jean’s face drastically changed when he saw his two guests. Hanji waved her hand at him and offered a friendly smile.

“Sorry to bother your dinner.” She said to Jean who put his glass down and wiped his mouth with napkins. Hanji knew him by reputation: The famous blacksmith, Jean Kirstein, who lived in Fire Realm. He made most of her staffs but she never met him personally.

“No problem.” Jean said while standing on his feet. Marco walked to his side. “So Marco’s wish unexpectedly comes true. How did you know he was here?”

Levi knitted his eyebrows. They really were expecting his visit to their house. “Got clue from some piece of shit. Where is he?”

Jean sighed and looked at his boyfriend. “He’s here indeed. I can’t believe he went out alone with that body.”

“Jean!” Marco protested and Jean shrugged.

“I’m telling ya, you should put a leash on that boy. He ain’t gonna know for what he’s up against unless someone told him.”

Levi’s anger was now pronounced in his eyes. He had a bad feeling about Eren’s condition and not seeing him just made him more worried. Jean noticed this and looked away to Marco.

“Lead the way, Hon.” Marco nodded. The freckled young man looked at Levi then to Hanji. “I’ll show you where he is but please don’t get angry with him.”

“Why would I?” Levi replied.

“Okay, follow me.” Marco turned on his heels and made his way to the fireplace. He exhaled long before chanting some sort of spells in whispers. Levi couldn’t make out what he was saying but Hanji seemed to have a clue. Her surprised face was almost too obvious for Levi not to notice.

“What four eyes?”

“He’s a Wizard – a Dimensional Wizard and Eren was in The Rift all these times. That’s why we couldn’t sense his presence. That was also why it took the Dimensional Wizard few days to locate him.”

“The Rift? An empty space between one space and another?” Levi asked.

“Yeah that one. Why didn’t I think of it before? Only a Dimensional Wizard can open it and there’s no way Reiner can find him there.”

A single light emerge in the empty space and it changed shape into a line with small cracks in every direction. It was like watching a broken glass; those cracks grew wider and broke the empty space like a shattered mirror. It kept falling apart until it was wide enough for a man to enter.

The view behind the shattered space was stunning. There was a garden filled with strange plants with blue-grey colored sky. It was the first time Levi ever saw one and he couldn’t help but to be dazzled by the view.

Marco looked over his shoulder to everyone. “Let’s go.” He said then went in first. The other followed suit.

The space was huge. It was nothing like Levi imagined a rift would be. He thought that it’ll be cramped, dark and empty but this was completely different. It was vast; the space spread out as far as the eye could see. The ground was covered with yellow and red grasses, and other kinds of unfamiliar plants. Those plants and flower looked uniquely beautiful.

“I found Eren and Mikasa in the woods a week ago. I was practicing there when I found them running for their dear lives from hunters.”

“Practicing? So you’re an apprentice of the current Wizard?”

“Correct.”

“I see, it makes sense. Each country only has one Dimensional Wizard and you’re her disciple. You’re gonna replace her one day?”

“Yes, I will. I just wish that I won’t screw up when the time comes.”

Hanji laughed and patted Marco’s shoulder. “Trust me boy, you won’t.”

Marco sheepishly smiled and looked down. He continued his story while walking.

“Their numbers – hunters I mean – were huge. Reiner was in the front row, leading the attack… At that time, Eren and Mikasa were badly injured. Eren was wounded in the chest, shoulder and legs. He suffered a fracture on the leg but I took care of it when I brought him here. I opened the dimension gate to our country and escaped with them. Mikasa was in a better condition but she was running out of energy. She had minor injuries but they’re nothing to worry about. I got her fixed in no time with a healing magic but I couldn’t do the same with Eren. His body somehow…deflect magic.”

Levi’s eyebrows crunched and he clenched his fist. To hear that Eren got hurt was expected but it still made him angry.

“About three days ago, Eren started complaining about a severe pain in his lower stomach. We didn’t know what to do so we asked for local doctor’s help. He was bleeding. There were so many bloods trickled down to his thigh and we panicked. I even suspected the worst. I thought that he was suffered from internal bleeding from the fight. I was so sure that his life was in danger but Mikasa didn’t want to think like that although her face went paler than Eren.”

“What? What the hell happened to him?” Levi asked impatiently.s

“When the doctor finished examining him, we were told about his condition. It was very surprising but then it all made sense. From what the doctor told us, he was actually not in any condition to travel…let alone involved in a battle.”

They stopped midway when the sight of a dragon was within their reach. It was a sleeping crystal dragon, Mikasa. She slept while curling her body to protect something under her wing. 

“She refused to move from that spot ever since she knew Eren’s condition.” Marco said as he looked to Levi’s worried face. “He’s with a child, Levi. Eren is pregnant.”

Levi’s eyes were wide in shock. His looked away and his legs quickly brought him closer to where the dragon was sleeping. He slowed down once he was just a few steps away from Mikasa.

He carefully approached her and carefully patted Mikasa’s wing. She woke up startled at first but went calm when he saw Levi. She moved her wing and Eren was there. He was sleeping peacefully in the dragon’s stomach.

There were bandages all over his body. Some blood sipped through the white bandage and it was a painful sight to see. Eren wrapped himself with a fur blanket and it made him warm. He was pale but there were some colors on his cheek. Levi let out a relieved sigh and stepped closer to the boy. He crouched down and cupped Eren’s cheek.

“Eren is pregnant… He’s carrying my child.” Levi mumbled as he stroke Eren’s cheek and hugged him. He kissed Eren’s hair and breathed on them for a moment. The longing smell of the woods on his beloved husband made his heart clenched. How Levi missed him in his arms. He rocked Eren’s body gently but the boy wouldn’t wake up.

Hanji came closer. Her eyes brimmed with tears when she heard that Eren was pregnant.

“Holy shit Levi… You’re going to be a father.” She said while covering her mouth to hold her sobs.

Marco hesitated a little before he continued to talk. “It turned out that he was in four weeks pregnancy when he got here. He told me what happened to him and why he went to the woods alone with Mikasa. He said he regretted his decision the whole time. Had he knew that he was with a child, he wouldn’t risk the journey and acted clumsy but no one could’ve known it.”

Levi’s mind was in a jumbled when he heard that. He couldn’t believe it. Eren was pregnant this whole time and he wasn’t there for him. If only he was able to rescue him sooner none of this would happen. Eren wouldn’t have to suffer injuries in his condition.

Levi kissed his husband lips and caressed Eren’s cheek. The boy’s eyes were still closed.

“Eren… wake up babe. It’s me.” he said while kissing Eren’s eyes and cheeks. Marco stepped closer and crouched down.

“Must be because of the drugs. He might not wake for another hour. Let’s take him back to my house. He needs warm bed.” he said with a smile.

“No, I’ll take him back home.” Levi refused.

“Yes, certainly.” 

Levi nodded and lifted up Eren’s body in his arm. Marco was surprised. Levi was very strong despite his small feature and Eren looked so fragile in his husband’s arms. It was also very surprising that Levi could make that soft expression when he held Eren.

“Doctor said that we’ll have to wait for few more days to see whether he could still have the baby or not. Some early pregnancies had this symptom and it’s quite common but we should still take precautions. In my opinion, your baby is going to be okay. He is your child after all.” Marco smile at them and stood. He looked away to Mikasa who was still in her dragon shape. She pierced her gaze to Levi and growled when he carried Eren away.

Hanji grinned to her. She knew that Mikasa was always jealous of Levi. She must have hated how he took Eren away so easily from her. She patted Mikasa’s neck. “It’s okay now, girl. Eren is safe.”

Mikasa shifted her gaze to Hanji and looked down. Her expression softened as she purred. She stood on her feet and held her head high to recover her human shape. Bright light covered her body as the crystal scale started to break apart into millions of tiny pieces and disappeared into the ground.

She returned back to her human shape, dressed in white short sleeves shirt, black leather pants and knee-length boots. Two Vesper swords hanged on her hips and her red scarf rested comfortably around her neck.

Hanji smacked her back as hard as she could and it made Mikasa stumbled to the front. “Good job!”

Mikasa nodded and pulled her scarf to cover her mouth. Levi didn’t say anything. He just watched her finished the transformation and turned his heels around with Eren in his arms. Without a word he walked back to the entrance.

“Come on Jean.” Marco said as he took Jean’s hand. Jean clicked his tongue and let Marco dragged him.

“Everyone is spoiling that suicidal bastard.” Jean grumbled.

“I can hear you Kirstein.” Levi said as he walked out of the rift. Marco slammed his elbow to Jean’s stomach.

After they were all out of the rift, Marco sealed the gate.

“Thank you.” Levi said with low voice. He was more than relief to have Eren in his arm.

“You’re welcome My King. I’m sorry for not contacting you earlier.”

“It’s fine. Let’s go Hanji.”

Levi hopped on Tiamat’s back and flew first without looking back. Hanji sighed but let him go. She knew that Levi wanted to bring Eren back as soon as possible so she wasn’t going to hold him any longer. She bid farewell to Marco and Jean and dragged Mikasa to go back.

Levi was silent the whole time. He kept hugging Eren’s body in his arm, as tight as he could. Though he knew that Eren would survive the injuries, he was worried about his baby. The doctor said that bleeding during early stage of pregnancy was common but what worried him was that they still needed to wait a few more days to see how the fetus would develop. That scared him.

The cold air brushed against his hair. His undercut got even colder and he felt Eren shivered under the thick fur coat. Levi tightened the coat and hugged him even closer. The night wind was cold as hell and Eren’s body might not be able to take it under his condition. They need to reach Dark Realm fast. Though he knew teleporting back home was faster but he already ordered Ymir, the Dark Realm’s Dimensional Wizard, to close the gate. Tiamat could fly fast anyway.

The castle was only few miles away and Levi sped up their speed. He was ready for any attack that might have come on their way home and if deemed necessary he would ask Hanji to call Diablos, the devil that he locked away because if its power to open the demon’s world. Fortunately they arrive faster than he predicted and landed safely on their home.

Hanji excused herself to her lab to aid Oluo in search for a way to kill the goddess of destruction while Levi carried Eren back to their cold room. He laid Eren on the soft mattress and undone the coat. Eren’s body was full of bruises and bandages. Levi’s blood rushed through his head but he bit his lips as hard as he could to keep his emotion at bay. This was not the time to be mad blindly.

He pulled off Eren’s clothes and stripped him naked. Though he had so many wounds on his body Eren was still beautiful. The mermaid was nothing compared to the real one and it made his heart hurt. How could he ever mistake Eren for that godforsaken creature even for a second? How could he ask for forgiveness to Eren?

Levi made a vow to himself that he would do anything to break the deal. He didn’t care even it took his life to found it. He would make sure that it was broken so that Eren and his child lived in the light of happiness. He would protect them from pain, from enemies, from making painful choices, from voices of reason, from themselves and other poison devil. They would be safe in the light of ignorance. No one would love them like he did.

\-----


End file.
